Motions to support BES governance expansion

Members of the Dutch House of Representatives (“Tweede Kamer”) believe that Bo­naire, St. Eustatius and Saba (so-called BES is­lands) must receive suf­ficient additional support for the planned expansion of the number of island council members and com­missioners. State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg responded positively to motions for such and also promised to enter into discussions with the islands regarding the position of National Repre­sentative.

Most parties consider the phased administrative ex­pansion a good idea. “CDA believes it is important that the administration of the islands can do its job well. There is currently a large amount of work that does not fit with the low number of island council members and deputies,” said Mem­ber of Parliament (MP) Tijs van den Brink.

“Expansion offers more room for the representa­tion of minorities and more implementation capacity,” added D66 MP Heera Dijk. However, expansion alone is not enough, parties felt. They emphasised the ne­cessity of support.

GroenLinks-PvdA MP Mikal Tseggai mentioned financial assistance. “We are receiving signals from the islands that the esti­mated joint resources are insufficient if we also want to arrange support for the island- and executive coun­cils.” She specifically men­tioned the costs of hous­ing for the two governance bodies.

Partly on behalf of Tseg­gai, CU MP Don Ceder submitted a motion regard­ing support. “We request the government to make concrete agreements with the islands’

In a second motion, he asked the state secretary to also seriously consider the remuneration for adminis­trators on the islands. The Advisory Committee on the Legal Status of Politi­cal Office Holders will is­sue advice on this later this year.

Van der Burg responded positively to both motions and mentioned various forms of support. In addi­tion to a financial contri­bution, these include, for example, a support pro­gramme for political office holders and attention to citizenship in education.

The organisations Pr­oDemos and the Nether­lands Institute for Mul­tiparty Democracy are organising a project to get people enthusiastic about politics. Interest in this has been higher than expected.

There is also attention for housing. In principle, the island administrations themselves are financially responsible for renova­tions, just like municipali­ties in the European Neth­erlands.

Government is now step­ping in because the extra space needed is a result of national legislation, the state secretary told VVD MP Renate den Hollander. He will consult with the is­lands shortly after the sum­mer regarding financial aid and will then also as­sess whether the reserved 300,000 euros is sufficient for housing.

Lawmakers also men­tioned the position of Na­tional Representative. It was agreed in 2024 that this position would be abolished and several MPs emphasised that the Neth­erlands must adhere to agreements.

Moreover, Ceder con­siders the abolition of the position a good signal to the local administration. “Shouldn’t you call upon the island council mem­bers and commissioners to take more responsibility and have a direct relation­ship with the responsible minister?”

Van der Burg stated that no final decision has been made yet, but that he has a slight preference for re­taining the National Rep­resentative. The lack of an administrative layer like a province plays a role, as do the problems with waste management on Bonaire. “And the distance of 8,000 kilometres complicates a number of processes,” he said.

The state secretary added that he will discuss the sub­ject with the island admin­istrators shortly after the summer.

If the House of Represent­atives and Senate (“Eerste Kamer) agree, the number of island council members and commissioners would be expanded as early as the elections in March 2027.

Whether this will lead to improvements must be de­termined by an evaluation, a wish of both Bonaire and Saba. If the review is legally mandated, it will also apply to Statia.

The Daily Herald.