On Friday May 13th 2011 a delegation comprising of members of the island council and commissioner will travel to the Netherlands to meet with different political entities in the Netherlands. They hope to get the opportunity to meet with Parliamentarians of the First and Second Chamber, Representatives of Political parties, Council of State, Ministers, the Prime Minister and the Commission of Kingdom Relations along with others who can help influence to improve the situation on St. Eustatius.
The purpose of this visit is to outline the great dissatisfaction in the community of St. Eustatius, since the transition from the Netherlands Antilles to the new status of Public Entity. Prior to the transition, lots of information from the Netherlands was conveyed to the citizens of St. Eustatius, that many issues would be drastically changed and improved. The Health Care, the economic and social situation, but also the infrastructure would make great improvements for the betterment of the citizens.
A few months in the new status politicians learned of the dissatisfaction and unrest among the population. The Health Care leaves a lot to be desired. Much of what has been promised in healthcare has not materialized. The care that is presently offered is not on the desired level. and the health care packages are less than that which was originally promised.
The introduction of the dollar and the new tax system created a situation where many are threatened to fall under the minimum level of existence. Double taxation on imported goods makes the cost for livelihood much higher than the situation prior to the transition. The transport cost from and to the island with Winair have increased disproportionately, resulting in people of the island being threatened of becoming isolated. There are also problems with the immigration, naturalization services, the limited government resources and the energy issue.
In the recent held administrative consultation with Minister Donner ( and the parallel programmes with other departments) discussions were held about these problems. It has merely resulted in a marginal financial contribution in the budget and the promise of two researches(one to the budget of the Public Entity versus it’s task and one to the average economic ability to bear on the island). Despite the extreme importance of these researches and contributions, they do not resolve the
problems of unrest and dissatisfaction among the citizens.
The Statia delegation wish to have a frank discussion with the politicians and others about the many problems of the Public entity, experienced by the citizens and seek the support and understanding of this cry of distress. They anticipate a sense of hearing for the problems and of course that citizens reach to the average level of prosperity like an average Dutch municipality. The hope that the citizens had prior to 10.10.10. of a full value of entering the Dutch society in all of it’s aspects can still become a reality.