THE HAGUE – The Dutch House of Representatives’ Committee for Kingdom Relations wants clarity from State Secretary Zsolt Szabó on why Curaçao and Sint Maarten are unable to repay loans due this year to the Netherlands. This concern was expressed in a series of written questions submitted by committee members in response to the Annual Report on Kingdom Relations and the BES Fund. 

One key issue raised is whether it is true that Curaçao had sufficient funds for a considerable time to repay a 140 million-guilder debt, but deliberately failed to include repayment provisions in its budget. Lawmakers are also asking whether the Board for Financial Supervision (Cft) took into account the controversial decision by the Pisas Cabinet to cancel 3 billion guilders in tax assessments when it recommended refinancing the loan to the Dutch government. 

In addition, MPs are seeking clarification on public transport developments in Bonaire. They question whether simple and feasible initiatives are ready to be implemented, but are being delayed due to the Executive Council’s work on an all-encompassing master plan, which may be unnecessarily prolonging the process. 

The committee expects Szabó to provide detailed responses on both the financial management in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom and the status of infrastructure planning on the special municipalities.