WILLEMSTAD - Former Member of Parliament Gwendell Mercelina is calling for a formal, long-term framework to connect young Caribbean talent with political and governmental institutions across the Kingdom. His appeal comes as he reflects on the graduation of his former intern, Dennis Jansen, from The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
Mercelina writes that during his internship at the Curaçao Parliament, Jansen developed into a fully capable staff member, conducting research on the island’s climate vulnerability. His advisory report explored issues such as salinization, coral bleaching and drought, and included proposals ranging from dam restoration and solar energy legislation reform to the establishment of a temporary Parliamentary Climate Commission.
“Pioneers” in Kingdom-Wide Talent Development
Mercelina describes Jansen—and previous interns Julian Brouwers, Gena-Lee Vieira Pita, Christy Dorn, Sugely Mercelina and Xuxasja Grovell—as “pioneers” in what he sees as the emerging development of a Kingdom Bridge for talent development.
He argues that these internships consistently demonstrate that academically trained youth from the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom can make substantive contributions to governing and policy challenges.
Toward a Sustainable Talent Pipeline
Mercelina notes that Brouwers later founded the Stichting Koninkrijkszaken, which he believes can help permanently anchor this collaboration. The next step, he argues, is to formalize cooperation between The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Stichting Koninkrijkszaken so that the flow of interns is no longer dependent on political cycles and remains tied to the Kingdom Affairs minor.
His vision for the so-called Kingdom Bridge is a permanent connection between young professionals and public institutions in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, and the BES islands—creating a sustainable pipeline of expertise in Caribbean governance.
Future-Proof Governance Through Local Talent
According to Mercelina, such a structure would strengthen knowledge exchange with the Netherlands and help cultivate a new generation of leaders combining academic training with political experience.
He emphasizes that these young professionals are proof that investing in Kingdom-wide talent is essential for future-proof governance.