WILLEMSTAD, PHILIPSBURG - The Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IpKo) that will start tomorrow on Sint Maarten could leave a heavy mark on the already imperfect relations between the countries of the Kingdom. The first item on the agenda, the Caribbean Reform and Development Agency (COHO), has the potential to spoil the mood thoroughly and for a long time to come.
How explosive the subject is deemed by the heads of delegation is shown by the fact that even the technical (actual, devoid of political judgments) briefing by legislative lawyers takes place behind hermetically closed doors. This also applies to the debriefing in four subgroups, for which the entire Wednesday afternoon is set aside, according to the agenda that has not yet been made public. The emotions in the side rooms of the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort will undoubtedly run high. The plan to spend the evening afterwards – dressed up with a snack and drink – therefore shows some optimism.
Today, the delegations from Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten will first consult each other in an attempt to form a closed front during the IpKo against the Dutch delegation. It remains to be seen whether this will last for long: the Parliaments of Curaçao and Sint Maarten see nothing in COHO unless the underlying 'consensus kingdom law can be amended to a paper tiger. Aruba does not like it much either, but (once status separate, always status separate) is never afraid to play in favor of The Hague at the expense of the strategically less adept sister countries, history shows.
The delegations will not agree on the content of the COHO law during this IpKo. The positions are too far apart for that, as with any dispute in the Kingdom involving money. The discussion is now again along the traditional line: Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten are in need of money, the Netherlands wants to help, but sets conditions that Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten see as an infringement of their autonomy. The maximum achievable for the coming days seems to buy time.
The Caribbean delegations are confident that the revival of tourism will eliminate the need for liquidity support. Whether or not to extend the corona loans provided by the Netherlands does not need to be discussed until the end of next year. Who then lives, then cares. Moreover, it cannot be ruled out that the countries are implementing the reforms in such an exemplary manner that the Netherlands will be prepared to convert part of the loans into grants by then.
The Dutch government is in a hurry with the law, although the arguments put forward so far have not been very convincing. What COHO is supposed to do is already being done by a so-called temporary work organization. As soon as a country struggles with the implementation of its national package, The Hague has enough sticks behind the door to hand out a corrective slap. With the ultimate threat to demand the loans in one go next year. There seems to be no reason for the Dutch parliamentarians to take a firm stance during the IpKo.
The risk of the bomb going off during the IpKo seems small, partly due to the composition of the Dutch delegation. In this, parties (D66, GroenLinks and ChristenUnie) dominate that are not firmly rooted in the Kingdom file. With the senators Paul Rosenmöller and Boris Dittrich, the delegation also has two seasoned politicians in the ranks with sufficient 'cultural sensitivity' to prevent escalation.
The most likely scenario: The MPs hear the objections of the Caribbean colleagues, after which it is included in the joint appointment list that State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen will be requested to respond. With which the hot potato is passed on to the Kingdom Council of Ministers because there will have to be agreement about the response.
If the Prime Ministers Pisas, Wever-Croes and Jacobs stand for their previously signed signature, no fundamental concessions will be made. And the ball will – as it should – be in the court of parliaments again. But then we are a summer recess further and Van Huffelen has taken the opportunity to ease the pain on the Caribbean side with an ointment here and there. That is confided to her: after all, she does not suffer from an ego playing up like her predecessor.
All this is no guarantee that the IpKo will not produce fireworks. After all, in the coming days, there will also be talk about the balance of power in the Kingdom, which is experienced as skewed on the Caribbean side, which is expressed in (consensus) kingdom laws, whether or not enforced by the Netherlands, but are also ingrained in the Charter. And then the petition (read: complaint) probably also plays a role in the background that the Parliament of Sint Maarten have submitted to the UN rapporteur against The Hague.