THE Governor Ajamu Baly of Sint Maarten visited the Netherlands from March 21 to March 29.
During his visit, he met with the Commander-in-Chief of the Dutch armed forces, the Secretaries of
State for Kingdom Relations and Justice and Security, the ministers of Defence, Climate and Green
Growth, and Justice and Security, the Dutch Prime Minister, the presidents of the Committees for
Kingdom Relations of the First and Second Chamber, the Minister Plenipotentiary for Sint Maarten,
the president of the Dutch Supreme Court, the Central Statistics Bureau (CBS) of the Netherlands, the
president of the Central Bank of the Netherlands DNB and engineering firm Royal Haskoning. He
was also present for the official farewell ceremony for outgoing Sint Maarten member of the Council
of State for the Kingdom Mrs. Van der Sluis-Plantz. On Friday the 28th of March, HE the Governor
was present at the Caribbean Career Fair in the RAI in Amsterdam to support the efforts of the Sint
Maarten authorities to attract talented professionals to Sint Maarten.
During his visits with Dutch dignitaries, the Governor discussed a multitude of subjects of importance
to our Country, varying from security threats originating in geopolitical changes to the housing
problems of Sint Maarten students in the Netherlands, to the challenges facing Sint Maarten with
regard to a turnover to sustainable energy as well as the future staffing of the new Prison in Point
Blanche, scheduled for opening in 2028. At the CBS, he discussed ways in which this organisation
could help strengthen Sint Maarten’s data-collection; at DNB, the special fund the Bank introduced to
underline its accountability in and for the slave trade of the Netherlands took centre stage.
THE Governor Baly looks back at an intensive, but fruitful visit to the Netherlands.
