The Dutch Socialist Party (SP) and the Christian Democratic Party CDA each dedicate some atten­tion to the relations within the Kingdom, but it is not much. The SP stated in its draft election programme 2023-2027 `Now the people’ that it believes Caribbean Netherlands res­idents deserve better services. “The inhabitants of Saba, St. Eustatius, and Bonaire are part of our country and deserve a much higher level of services.”

According to the SP, infighting and mutual distrust pose a threat to the survival of the Kingdom. “The current Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its autonomous countries Aruba, Curacao, and St. Maarten, is at risk of succumbing to po­litical disputes and mutual distrust. Hence, we advocate for a new form of collaboration, one where we agree on how these four nations can cooperate more effectively, based on equality.”

The CDA uses far fewer words to refer to the Kingdom. In its election programme ‘Do right,’ under the chapter Inter­national Solidarity, the party stated: “We invest in stronger relations with more democratic countries throughout the world. As a country, we need to have special attention for the Caribbean islands, Indonesia and Suriname, whereby we want to strengthen these countries, while at the same time acknowledge mistakes from the historic past.”

The Daily Herald.