SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) In a riveting speech at the InterExpo in The Hague, the Netherlands on December 12th, the president of the Sint Maarten Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot reminded her audience why 70 years later in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the contentious issue of the very real democratic deficit continues to cloud the relationship in the constellation of the four Dutch countries.
From the very beginning, this document while heralding a new relationship for the then partners (Netherlands, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles) was lopsided, the MP opined.
For St. Maarten, since becoming a self-governing state in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010, it is firstly up to us and then in partnership with the others to demand our rightful position in this constellation, based on the base document that keeps this relationship together, namely the 1954 Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the MP continued. “Not only in words, but also in deeds.”
“We are a developing state and a very small one at that.”
If one had to put the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in today’s context, it would ideally be “full internal self-government in a sovereign (voluntary) association,” MP Wescot further alluded.
“While it is important to reflect on the historic developments that lead to the Charter, the overarching question is whether it serves us, the participants of today, and -for the duration of that relationship- whether it benefits the people whom we serve.”
“Where that is not the case, are we willing to make the necessary changes, whether by changes to the Charter, undoing it of the old dogmas, or new agreements on the basis of the Charter,” the President of Parliament asked her audience at the conference in The Hague.
The MP’s speech centered around three main issues: The democratic deficit in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the notion, that there are four equal partners in the Kingdom; some of the proposed solutions, the dispute regulation, and thirdly, the right to development as per the United Nations, a sacrosanct right of all people, based on their level of development.
“The previous Rutte IV cabinet of the Netherlands explicitly acknowledged this democratic deficit in their coalition agreement, committing to work towards enhancing the Caribbean nations' proportional involvement in decision-making processes related to Kingdom legislation”.
Furthermore, during the recent IPKO meetings in June, leaders from the Kingdom's four parliaments reaffirmed their commitment to tackle the democratic deficit by acknowledging that there exists a democratic deficit within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
and that the possibilities for democratic decision-making outlined in the Statute have yet to be fully utilized.
The four parliaments also admitted that on government level there is little progress with the democratic deficit and with the long overdue Kingdom conference.
The June IPKO called for urgent progress in reducing the democratic deficit.
“In this light, I view some of the actions by the Dutch/Kingdom government as counterproductive. While I observe these actions towards all the Dutch Caribbean states, I highlighted for example the recent statement by the Dutch State Secretary regarding Transparency International as counterproductive in my speech.”
The MP also expressed her displeasure that there is still no dispute regulation that according to the Charter should be in place. That’s imperative. “But I have hope that the latest draft will make it through the process.”
The Democratic Party will continue to champion a decision regarding the Democratic Deficit to create a more level playing field, a Kingdom conference where parties will have to express their position on remaining as a constellation of four nations, with respect for each other and for the partnership.
And finally, a dispute regulation for disputes between the “Kingdom” and the countries (constituent parts).
Moving forward, it is imperative that we work collaboratively to shrink the democratic deficit and establish a more representative system for all parts of the Kingdom. The need for effective representation and democracy is vital for the prosperity of our nations and the well-being of our citizens, MP Wescot concluded.
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