St Eustatius 'could join St Kitts and Nevis', says Dutch lawmaker

Lawmakers in Europe have said that the island of St Eustatius is free to join St Kitts and Nevis if it wants to leave the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The issue of St Eustatius was the only item on the agenda during a debate in the Tweede Kamer – the lower house of the Dutch parliament – at the end of last week.

But the idea of greater autonomy within the Kingdom has been quashed by the Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, who described that idea as “not realistic”.

According to a report in the Daily Herald of St Maarten, the discussion in the city of The Hague, was voicing of concerns and series of questions with little comment on situations on the island.

Ronald van Raak, a Socialist Party MP, told lawmakers that there were several options for Statia, including joining St Maarten or St Kitts and Nevis.

St Eustatius is only seven miles northwest of St Kitts.

Van Raak was the only politician who came close to heated during the debate, which lasted only one hour instead of the two that were planned.

He accused the Statia government of violating the principles of good governance.

“People in St Eustatius are angry at their own government with bad representatives. Criticism by the local government against the Netherlands is marked by words like colonialism, discrimination, oppression, arrogant,” he said.

“But the problem is the government itself which barely shows any integrity. Ask the people.”

People should ‘make things better’

Earlier this year the issue of St Eustatius achieving a more autonomous position within the Kingdom of the Netherlands was played down by Ronald Plasterk, acting minister of home affairs and kingdom relations.

The island currently has public entity status, but there has been a move to change to something similar to that of Caribbean neighbours St Maarten and Curaçao.

But such an amendment would require the permission of the other ‘Kingdom partners’, Plasterk said, and he was quoted in the Curacao Chronicle as saying “a unilateral decision cannot lead to this.”

During the debate last week, Plasterk told representatives that he agreed that decisions had to be based on the will of people.

But the focus shouldn’t just be on the right to self-determination, and that people can instead “take up a shovel and make things better” on the island.

The government on the “small paradise” is not in order, the minister added, and it is “a pity that we see so much energy is wasted in this conflict situation.”

“A government that takes irresponsible decisions and makes unauthorised expenditures.”