Category Archives: Netherlands Vs Former Antilles

But we all have a good heart for the people of those islands. And such a good heart that Mr van der Burg even says: we want to get involved so badly, because it has to go well for that population. And then you come to the question: we would like to get involved, but how does that relate to the Statute for the Kingdom of the Netherlands? Article 41 states that the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten independently represent their own affairs. That is a basic principle, which we cannot ignore unless we are going to amend the Statute. Mr Recourt has already said that perhaps the Statute is not entirely contemporary.
In the letter from the State Secretary to the State Council of Ministers, I read about the interventions involved. For example, I read: “Labour markets need to be reformed to give opportunities to the large and growing group of outsiders in the labour market.”  Continue reading →