Saba News News and Information from Saba Island, Dutch Caribbean
A cautious majority appears to be emerging in the House of Representatives in favor of not postponing the expansion of the Executive Councils and Island Councils in the Caribbean Netherlands until 2031.
The most outspoken party is the Christian Union, which, with Don Ceder, has the only member of the House Committee for Kingdom Relations who has any prior experience with this. This lack of knowledge is evident in the questions submitted by the other parties regarding the bill to strengthen local democracy on the islands.
The Christian Union “considers increasing the number of island council members and island deputies and agreeing with the current working methods regarding municipalities essential for effective and democratic governance in the Caribbean Netherlands. Given the upcoming elections in 2027, these members see the need to process the bill quickly.” The party does stipulate, however, that the government honors all (fundamental) agreements made during the 2024 BES summit in De Bilt, including the increase in the remuneration of deputies and island council members.
Read all questions (in Dutch) asked to State Secretary Van der Burg HERE
