KRALENDIJK - On the first day of the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) it turned out that the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom are having a hard time and that there are still many challenges in the Caribbean Netherlands.

The Lieutenant-Governor of Bonaire Edison Rijna welcomed the parliamentary delegates to the island and called it a first that the MPs are welcomed by a lieutenant governor because it is the first time that one of the Dutch public entities is co-organizing this semi-annual meeting.

“We have welcomed the proposal to organize it here with open arms, because it confirms that we belong and that is a feeling that we don't always have,” said the Lieutenant-Governor.

“Our local representatives do not participate in the deliberations. Of course, they are not MPs like you, but we are each other's neighbors, share a common history and in many ways, we are each other's fellow sufferers," said Rijna.

Much of what is on the agenda these days, according to Rijna, also takes place on Bonaire. He is confident that the Dutch delegation will represent the interests of the Caribbean Netherlands (CN), but does not think it is a bad idea to invite delegates from the Island Councils to attend the future Ipkos, even if it is only for 1 session and 1 edition.

Rijna handed all participants a salt mill with real Bonairean salt. “This is the reason why the islands belong to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. When the Netherlands was looking for salt to brine the herring around 1600, they ended up in the area. Due to the shape of the island, the crystals grew extra fast and that made the island interesting. Salt brings people together, gives flavor and I give it to you because this salt can bind the Kingdom together.”

The chairman of the delegation of the Senate, Paul Rosenmöller, called it important to develop friendship during the Ipko, especially given the fact that many new parliamentarians participate in the consultation. According to Rosenmöller there are improvements on the islands, but according to him there are still plenty of challenges.

Rosenmöller says that two things stand out on Bonaire and those are the state of the roads and the poverty issue. The pandemic has exacerbated this dire situation and we see it on the other islands as well. “We went into the neighborhoods in couples and visited people who are really having a hard time. Surviving on an island like Bonaire is extremely difficult for the vulnerable people,” said Rosenmöller. According to him, this concerns the elderly, young people or people with a mental or physical disability.

“How can we ensure that what is going well continues to go well and what is not going well quickly improves? That's what we need to talk about these days."

The chairman of the delegation from Aruba, Rocco Tjon, emphasized that the cutbacks imposed by the Netherlands as a condition for the support are putting pressure on care in Aruba and that the measures to reduce costs have reduced the quality of care and safety.

“Research and operations can no longer be carried out and personnel are leaving Aruba because the burden is great to function as professionals in the deteriorating conditions. The current measures mean that fewer citizens have access to care, and we cannot recruit new staff because of the cutbacks order,” said Tjon.