THE HAGUE - The Dutch Socialist Party (SP) wants a new Kingdom Statute with the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, because the situation in the overseas territories 'can no longer continue like this'. "We have to make agreements per island who is responsible for what", says SP Member of Parliament Ronald van Raak.

"I did not expect it to turn out this way," says Van Raak. He was very shocked during his working visit to Sint Maarten last week. He believes that the Kingdom Charter from 1954 must be revised. That is why in June, when the parliamentarians from the ABC Islands come to the Netherlands, he wants to negotiate. Van Raak wants to be able to make agreements per island about the degree of autonomy, the rights and obligations and their responsibilities.

"We cannot get out of the Kingdom, the islands can, we have not thought about the relationships properly, and that's what we have to do now, because it really cannot go on like that", says Van Raak. Europe addressed the Netherlands on the bad conditions in the prison on Sint Maarten. The Netherlands must pay a big casino boss, the Mafia boss Fransesco Corallo, a compensation.

'They call us members of the Gestapo'

"There are a number of things that are not right in the relations with the islands." This was also apparent during a meeting in Sint Maarten. "Politicians there call us, politicians in the Netherlands, members of the Gestapo, we were angry there, we are willing to spend 600 million on the reconstruction after Hurricane Irma, but we do ask for control. Politicians are going crazy there, that's not good for the relations," says Van Raak.

Half of the parliamentarians on Sint Maarten are going through a criminal investigation, (8 out of 15), and in Curaçao parliamentarians are suspected of corruption. "There is always a reality behind that reality: an appointment with a politician doesn’t mean very much, you never know who has the real power there," says Van Raak.

On Sunday Prime Minister Rutte, together with State Secretary Knops, will leave for the ABC Islands for a working visit.