Reliable sources have alerted ARCO that Holland has already prepared an article to amend the Kingdom Statute so as to lock up the BES-islands in this ‘Kingdom Constitution’. This will make it possible to grant the islands an ‘acceptable’ social-economic level instead of an ‘equal’ one, i.e. equal with the population in Holland.
As was foreseen (and forcefully opposed by ARCO), Holland wants to be able to unilaterally determine our social-economic level and at the same time rule the islands from a distance.
It was clear all along that autonomy for the BES-islands will be different in the new constitutional situation. Not necessarily less, if you compare with our present level of autonomy under the Neth. Antillean government. But different and stricter controls, both financially and judicially, yes. This was the price we had to pay.
But in return we were to obtain social-economic equality for the people. ARCO sounded a clear warning in January 2008 that Holland was in no mood to grant this and that our politicians refuse to stand up for the BES-people. We have now received confirmation that Holland has prepared an article basically down-grading ‘equal’ to ‘acceptable’ (whatever that may be).
ARCO urges our politicians once again to oppose this move. It will be bad for us and - in the end - bad for Holland as well.