THE HAGUE – Curaçao should not be expected to shoulder major human rights and justice challenges on its own simply because it is an autonomous country, according to PAR Member of Parliament Quincy Girigorie.
During a debate at the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO), the former Minister of Justice pointed to the long-standing issue of TBS measures and the Venezuelan migration crisis as examples of areas where Curaçao sought Kingdom-wide cooperation but received little support from the Netherlands.
Girigorie recalled the period when Curaçao's courts imposed the island's first TBS measure, a legal arrangement under which offenders requiring psychiatric treatment remain detained while receiving specialized care.
According to him, research conducted together with Aruba showed that the cost of treating a single TBS patient under Dutch standards could amount to approximately €1 million.
“The islands could never afford that,” Girigorie told participants.
At the time, he raised the matter during the Judicial Four-Party Consultation (JVO) and requested a joint Kingdom solution. However, he said the Dutch response was straightforward: Curaçao should solve the issue itself.
Girigorie argued that the case illustrates a broader problem within Kingdom relations. While Curaçao accepts responsibility for its autonomous affairs, some issues are simply too large and too complex for small islands to manage independently.
“These are not political issues. These are human rights issues,” he said.
The parliamentarian argued that the Kingdom often expects Curaçao to meet European legal and human rights standards without providing the level of institutional support necessary to achieve them.
According to Girigorie, cooperation should extend beyond financial assistance and include expertise, technical support and institutional capacity. He warned that the current approach can create unrealistic expectations for small island governments.
His comments were supported in part by Maria van der Sluijs-Plantz, who noted that reform cooperation between the Netherlands and the Caribbean countries has demonstrated that problems can be solved more effectively when parties work together and listen to each other.
Van der Sluijs-Plantz said trust between civil servants has improved over recent years and described this as a positive sign for future Kingdom cooperation.
However, Girigorie argued that while relationships at the administrative level may be improving, political attitudes in the Netherlands still need to change.
He referred to comments made by a Dutch parliamentarian during the consultation that questioned the value of the Caribbean countries, saying such statements undermine efforts to build stronger Kingdom relations.
Girigorie concluded by calling for a new approach based on partnership, mutual respect and a shared understanding that certain challenges, particularly those involving justice, migration and human rights, require cooperation across the Kingdom rather than isolated national responses.