The Advisory Board (RvA) of Curaçao Judges Sides With Minister Knops Concerning COHO:
The Advisory Board (RvA) of Curaçao Judges that the correct procedural path has been taken to arrive at the Kingdom Act on the Caribbean Body for Reform and Development (Coho). But, it is also judged: “Strictly speaking, the powers of the government and Parliament will also be limited in this amended proposal (with respect to the CHE, ed.).” This is evident from the recently made public judgment of the RvA of 21 December 2020. Although there has been little room for negotiation with the Netherlands, the RvA itself concludes, it appears from the amended bill of law (which was previously CHE) , but also from the way in which the Explanatory Memorandum (Explanatory Memorandum) has now been drafted, ‘that Curaçao has had some form of say in the preparation of the present bill of law’. The RvA adds: “It cannot be ruled out that the proposal for a Kingdom Act does not meet all of Curaçao’s wishes. Should this be the case, it is inherent to the negotiation process and is therefore not incomprehensible. ” The RvA considers the aspect of equality to be very important. “Not only the Netherlands, but also Curaçao must have a say in and over the Coho in the bill of law,” said the Council. The institute considers it important that the law not only states that consultations are held from the Netherlands with the Minister of General Affairs (AZ) of Curaçao about the appointment of the members of the Coho (in order to gain support), but that it is stated here that this must lead to a compromise. When it comes to the implementation of the National Package, the RvA is of the opinion that, unlike the CHE, the employee participation and co-responsibility of Curaçao are now expressly regulated. But in order not to limit the authority of Parliament too much when it comes to budget support and the spending of (Dutch) money, the Council considers it important that the Minister of AZ inquires about the views of Parliament before making agreements with Coho. be made on the implementation agenda of the country package. Whether this will be sufficient therefore depends to a large extent on how frequently Parliament is informed by the government, according to the RvA. The RvA is still concerned about the possibility that the Kingdom Act provides for tightening up financial supervision on part or all of Curaçao’s expenditure, even if those expenditure are not related to the Landspakket. Unlike the CHE, the AZ minister can now put forward his or her point of view and the Board assumes that, if this is sufficiently substantiated by the minister, the stricter financial supervision can be better tested. https://antilliaansdagblad.com/nieuws-menu/23374-rva-coho-juiste-weg-bewandeld
