THE HAGUE – The Dutch House of Representatives’ Committee for Kingdom Relations is pressing the cabinet to restore consultation procedures with Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten after complaints that the Caribbean countries are not consistently consulted when decisions affect the Kingdom as a whole.
The committee has sent State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg an urgent request for a government response to concerns raised by the three Caribbean countries. The Dutch Parliament’s official records confirm that a letter requesting a cabinet response concerning the resolution from Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten was sent to Van der Burg on September 9.
According to the parliamentary committee, the cabinet should present a concrete proposal for restoring the consultation procedures rather than limiting its response to the controversy surrounding a single decision.
The immediate cause of the dispute was the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ decision in March to abstain from voting on a United Nations resolution concerning the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and slavery.
The governments of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten were not consulted before the Kingdom adopted its position. The issue was particularly sensitive because of the direct historical and social consequences of slavery for the Caribbean countries.
The controversy subsequently became a Kingdom-wide political issue. During their tripartite consultation in The Hague on June 4, the parliamentary delegations of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten jointly adopted a resolution criticizing the lack of consultation. The resolution argued that the episode illustrated a structural democratic deficit within the Kingdom, particularly in foreign affairs that directly affect the Caribbean countries.
The resolution was subsequently presented to the Dutch parliamentary delegation during the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO). The Caribbean delegations requested a written and reasoned response from the Kingdom government within three months.
The matter has now moved beyond the Caribbean delegations themselves, with the Dutch House committee asking the cabinet to address the underlying consultation system.
The demand could have implications well beyond the slavery resolution. If new consultation procedures are established, the governments of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten could gain a clearer mechanism for providing input before the Kingdom adopts international positions on matters directly affecting them.
The dispute also comes as a separate expert group examines the broader democratic deficit within the Kingdom. The group includes representatives connected to all four countries, including Aubrich Bakhuys on behalf of Curaçao, and is expected to make recommendations on the functioning of Kingdom relations.
For the House committee, however, the immediate question is practical: how will the Dutch cabinet ensure that Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten are consulted before decisions are taken on Kingdom matters that directly concern them?
Van der Burg has been asked to respond within a short period and provide a concrete proposal to repair the consultation procedures.