THE HAGUE - It will only become clear after the summer recess whether and in what way the draft National Act on the Caribbean Reforms and Developments Act (COHO) will be adapted to the fundamental criticism of the Council of State. This is apparent from the planning that Undersecretary Knops sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament today regarding kingdom relations.
Formulating a response will not be without a struggle. The governments of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, which had serious reservations about the unilateral draft law from the outset, are encouraged by the approval of the Council of State. The change of government in Curaçao only makes the chance of consensus smaller and Aruba, which goes to the polls on June 25, could follow.
Before 1 July, Knops will still send a response to the Second Chamber to a letter from the Bonairean consumer association Unkobon about the deplorable state of the road network and the slow pace at which it is being repaired. The Undersecretary will also inform the Chamber this month who will be the new government commissioner for St. Eustatius.
Knops announces that he will visit Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao in early July. Given the developments surrounding the formation of a new Dutch government, it will probably not be his last visit.