The site DossierKoninkrijksrelaties reports that neither the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations nor the acting Kingdom Representative were involved in the hiring of Arjen de Wolff by the Island Council of Saba, nor in the settlement of the conflict that arose between the two.

In 2022, De Wolff received a request from Saba to help the registry. “The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has taken note of the feeling that Mr. De Wolff worked for some time as a self-employed person for the Island Council of Saba in 2022, but was not involved in the choice because this is a matter for the Island Council of Saba. No personnel decision or contract for services has been submitted to the acting Kingdom Representative. He therefore had no role in this,” the ministry said.

Because De Wolff’s commitment and the quality of the work delivered left much to be desired and there was no prospect of improvement, the Island Council of Saba decided to end the cooperation prematurely. De Wolff refuses to repay the part of the remuneration already received for which no work had been done. “The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations was only informally informed of the termination of the cooperation, but was not aware of the request for reimbursement of work not carried out. Since this is a matter for the Island Council of Saba, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has no involvement in the settlement.”

“However, the support of the island councils is an issue that the ministry is paying attention to. For example, at the request of the Registrar of Saba, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has set up and carried out a support program in collaboration with the “Wethoudersvereniging” and an experienced Registrar (September 2023 – February 2024). This was a pilot to strengthen support. During the working conference on the WoIBES and the FinBES, it was agreed that a support program will be set up between the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the “beroepsverenigingen van gezagdragers in Europees Nederland en Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba”. In this way, continued investments will be made in the further development of the island councils and the executive councils and the strengthening of support.”

When asked whether the issue on Saba is a reason for the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to give the public entities further advice on how to deal with requests from service providers/suppliers to pay the contract sum in full in advance, the ministry answers: “Public entities themselves are authorized to determine what kind of agreements are made with suppliers and service providers. Taxpayers’ money must be spent carefully. That applies to everyone who dedicates themselves to the public good with public money.”

After being dismissed by Saba, the Island Council of Bonaire appointed De Wolff as interim registrar despite his dubious reputation. “The Island Councils of Bonaire; In line with Article 130 of the WoIBES, St. Eustatius and Saba are responsible for appointing the registrar themselves. In line with Article 135 of the WoIBES, a decision to appoint the Registrar must be submitted to the Kingdom Representative for approval. The Kingdom Representative can only withhold approval ‘because it is contrary to the law or the rules laid down by the Island Council for the appointment, promotion, suspension and dismissal of the Island Registrar and the officials working at the Registry.’ The review by the Kingdom Representative is therefore a legal test to see whether it complies with legislation and policy. Within these frameworks, the Island Council itself remains responsible for the substantive choice of a candidate.”

De Wolff was recently asked by Deputy Clark Abraham to become an advisor to the Executive Council. To the question whether the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations questions this intention, the answer is: “For reasons of privacy, the acting Kingdom Representative cannot rule on personnel decisions whether or not they have been received.”

DossierKoninkrijksrelaties