Saba News News and Information from Saba Island, Dutch Caribbean
There is political will to make flights between St. Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten cheaper, Minister Vincent Karremans (Infrastructure and Water Management) assured the House of Representatives late Tuesday evening. Whether the money to make that happen can actually be found, however, remains far less certain, according to the website Dossier Koninkrijkszaken.
The assurance came during a House debate on introducing a so-called Public Service Obligation (PSO) between the islands.
“Having a law that makes something possible doesn’t mean it will actually happen,” one MP said during the debate. “So I’m not yet reassured, but this matters, and the islands have been asking for it for a long time. Can the Minister explain when he’ll decide whether to use this legal option? To me, it’s ultimately a question of political will.”
Karremans responded that a decision is expected this autumn. “In principle, I will decide this autumn whether to make use of the legal option for the PSO. The only real showstopper I see is whether the resources become available. That’s the sole condition. I intend to proceed with the project, provided the funding is there.
The annual cost of implementing the scheme is estimated at 3.8 to 7.6 million dollars. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is unwilling to cover this itself and instead argues the funds should come from the 30 million dollars set aside in the coalition agreement to strengthen social security in the Caribbean Netherlands. How that money is ultimately divided will be decided as part of the Autumn Memorandum.
Karremans also stressed that any support scheme would be temporary. “How long would the subsidy measure run? A PSO is valid for a maximum of five years. It can be extended, but that has to be reassessed each time. So the duration is five years. This is a temporary measure, not a permanent one.”
The debate showed that the bill has broad support and is likely to pass by a large majority in the upcoming vote. Even so, its actual implementation may take time. “The details will of course depend on the exploratory study we’re still working on,” the minister said.
Dossier Koninkrijkszaken
