Saba News News and Information from Saba Island, Dutch Caribbean
Opinion: Internet Consultation as The Hague’s Booby Trap for the BES Islands
That this is a dangerous illusion was proven a few years ago, when the annual Chamber of Commerce fee was tripled. That decision, too, followed an “internet consultation.” Only after the change was implemented did entrepreneurs rise in mass protest, revealing how little the outcome of the online procedure reflected reality. In fact, most business owners were unaware that the issue was under discussion or that they could submit input online. If such a concrete and tangible subject already exposes the flaws of the system, how can an internet consultation ever be the foundation for fundamental decisions about the islands’ future governance?
What makes matters worse is that in 2024, in De Bilt, serious negotiations did take place. Island councils, executive councils, and island governors reached clear agreements with State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen on the course of the WolBES and FinBES revisions. It is deeply troubling that these hard-won agreements, made after days of deliberation, are now brushed aside with a single stroke of the pen—while a digital questionnaire suddenly carries decisive weight.
Decisions based on such vague internet consultations lack all legitimacy. Not only do local representatives feel sidelined, but ordinary citizens also experience that their voices no longer count. This does nothing to build trust in politics or in The Hague’s supposed good intentions towards the islands.
And this is not even about the substance of individual measures—whether, for example, it is right or wrong to retain the office of the Kingdom Representative. It is about the principle that a flawed and barely known instrument of “public participation” should never be used to push through potentially controversial decisions.
Even worse is the widespread perception on the islands—shared, for once, across the entire political spectrum—that with this approach, the Dutch government is behaving in a “colonial” manner. Surely, in 2025, The Hague can and must do better.
