Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
WILLEMSTAD – The Prime Ministers of Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten are boycotting the celebration of Kingdom Day. They refuse to travel to Amsterdam to attend the traditional Kingdom Concert in the presence of King Willem Alexander.
According to a reliable source in The Hague the three prime ministers of the three islands are so angry at the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte they have stated that they will not be present. This is especially painful because next Monday an anniversary celebration will be held. It is exactly 60 years since Queen Juliana put her signature under the Charter for the Kingdom.
To strengthen the links between the Netherlands and its overseas territories, every year on December 15, a festive concert is organized with the participation of artists from all parts of the Kingdom. It sometimes happens that one of the governments is unable to attend, but it is considered an insult that three prime ministers cancel simultaneously.
A spokesman for the Minister of Kingdom Relations, Ronald Plasterk says the absence of the three prime ministers is not yet confirmed.
Plasterk and the Mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan will host the concert, which will be held on December 15 in the evening in the Meervaart. During the day there is a symposium. According to The Hague sources, the premiers Mike Eman (Aruba), Ivar Asjes (Curacao) and Sarah Wescot-Williams (St. Maarten) will not be present, because they are fed up with the Dutch meddling in the local affairs of the islands.
The quarrels between the Netherlands and the islands in the Caribbean have been running increasingly higher in recent years. The Hague requires financial discipline and wants new ministers in the islands to be screened for possible links with the underworld. The islands in turn consider it as colonialism. They feel that Minister Plasterk behaves as a puppet of Finance and that he is blind to the reality in the Caribbean that is so different compared to the Netherlands.
