THE HAGUE - The Dutch Member of Parliament Roelien Kamminga of the coalition partner VVD has taken under her wing the private member's bill of her predecessor André Bosman to make it easier for Curaçao and Sint Maarten to leave the Kingdom.
The bill dates from January 15, 2019. After the fall of the Rutte III cabinet, it was declared controversial. Kamminga has announced today that she wants to pick up the thread again. This means that she now first has to formulate a response to the (not yet made public) advice of the Council of State, after which the formal handling process can start.
The VVD wants to change the Charter to equate the threshold for Curaçao and Sint Maarten to leave the Kingdom with that for Aruba. The bill also provides that the need to hold a referendum for this purpose will lapse. The requirement for a two-thirds majority in Parliament will also be dropped.
The private member's bill also relates to the position of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius or Saba. The VVD wants to change the Constitution to make it possible for the islands to leave the Dutch polity.