THE HAGUE - A delegation from the permanent Chamber committee for Kingdom Relations (KOREL) embarks today on a visit to Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. The aim of this 10-day journey is to familiarize senators with the six islands and their unique differences. The visit provides context for the significant issues that the committee will engage with in The Hague over the next four years.
During their time on the islands, committee members will explore various projects in the areas of education, economic development, tourism, healthcare, migration, and water management. Senators will not only engage in discussions with members of the States, ministers, and other dignitaries but also with educators and representatives from different religious and justice backgrounds.
Program: A random selection from the program includes meetings with administrators and democratically elected representatives on each of the six islands. Sometimes, this occurs in the form of a roundtable discussion on policy themes, as is the case on Saba. Additionally, they will undertake field visits. On Sint Eustatius, for instance, the focus is on heritage and a social housing project. On Sint Maarten, discussions revolve around the progress of reconstruction after Hurricane Irma, and meetings are scheduled with NGOs in the field of societal inclusion and resilience. Aruba includes a visit to the Guarda Nos Costra service (the Aruban return and departure service) and discussions with representatives from various religious denominations. Bonaire features visits to Mariadal Hospital and the Water and Electricity Company of Bonaire. On Curaçao, senators will tour the old refinery and the naval and coast guard base, engaging with various stakeholders on topics such as poverty, climate, and the history of slavery.
Valuable Visit
"Since 2012, it has been customary for committee members to travel to the Caribbean Netherlands and the countries Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten at the beginning of a parliamentary term. I consider such visits immensely valuable for our committee work. They significantly shape the agenda and atmosphere in the committee for the coming years. The discussions will be enriching and enable us to perform our work with a deeper understanding of the context. The future of each of the three countries and the three islands of the Caribbean Netherlands is the focal point. What lies ahead in the coming years? What is required for that? Is there a role for the Netherlands and us as co-legislators? These are questions that will certainly be addressed," stated committee chairman Paul Rosenmöller.
Participants:
In addition to Rosenmöller, senators Panman (BBB), Recourt (GroenLinks-PvdA), Vogels (VVD), Rietkerk (CDA), Dittrich (D66), Van Hattem (PVV), Van Apeldoorn (SP), Holterhues (ChristenUnie), Nicolaï (PvdD), Van Bijsterveld (JA21), Schalk (SGP), Hartog (Volt), Van Rooijen (50PLUS), and Van der Goot (OPNL) will participate in the working visit.