THE HAGUE – At the joint press conference following the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO), the spokespersons of the four delegations emphasized the value of the biannual meetings and praised the constructive atmosphere. Yet, the sense of unity quickly gave way to frustration once the delegations dispersed, as news broke that the Dutch government has no interest in adopting the dispute settlement mechanism proposed by Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten.

IPKO delegations with King Willem-Alexander

According to the signed list of agreements, the session was largely informative and did not produce many concrete commitments. Still, expectations had been raised that progress would be made on the long-debated issue of a fair mechanism to handle disputes within the Kingdom. That hope was dashed when The Hague signaled its refusal to move forward.

“This is exactly the kind of colonial attitude we also see in the way the BES islands are treated. It makes it seem as though the apology for slavery was not truly sincere,” said Curaçao parliamentarian Giselle McWilliam on Monday evening. She stressed that the process itself had been disrespected: the Caribbean countries were asked to put forward a proposal, only for the Schoof cabinet to abruptly reject it in favor of a framework that the islands cannot accept. “This is not done,” McWilliam said firmly.

The rejection threatens to overshadow the otherwise cordial IPKO gathering, raising doubts about the Netherlands’ willingness to engage in equal dialogue with its Caribbean partners on matters of governance and justice.