THE HAGUE - “My life looks better” is the ultimate goal that Zsolt Szabó, the State Secretary for Digitalization and Kingdom Relations, hopes the residents of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom will express by the end of his term. Szabó shared this ambition during his introductory meeting with the Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations on Tuesday evening.
Szabó reiterated the three main goals he aims to achieve: good governance, sound financial policies, and self-reliance. For him, self-reliance primarily means economic development, which he sees as a crucial tool to combat poverty on the islands, a situation he admitted being “deeply shocked by.” He emphasized that reducing supermarket prices by investing in agriculture could help: “This is a relatively easy win. It doesn’t even require a lot of money.”
When asked what more he plans to do to tackle poverty on the BES islands (“since more is needed than just establishing a social minimum”), Szabó mentioned receiving numerous complaints from entrepreneurs about the increase in the minimum wage during his visits. He also highlighted that, with funding from The Hague, the road from Kralendijk to Rincón is being repaired, Saba is getting a new port, and border security is being improved. Regarding the “heartbreaking poverty” he personally witnessed in the CAS countries (Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten), he stated, “We cannot fund that from the Netherlands, but I am always willing to think along with them. However, at the end of the day, they will have to solve it themselves.”
In response to a question about education, the State Secretary expressed his desire to promote proficiency in the Dutch language in the Caribbean. “The Dutch language is extremely important for better understanding each other,” Szabó said. He also mentioned being pleased that only one sentence in the coalition agreement was dedicated to Kingdom relations, giving him more freedom to shape policy. “I have good ideas, but I still need to develop them,” he concluded.