‘Strengthen the position of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’
Oratie image: Larry Syverson
Relations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands are imbalanced, says Professor by Special Appointment Wouter Veenendaal. The Caribbean autonomous countries and special municipalities do not have enough of a say and have administrative problems to contend with. In his inaugural lecture, Veenendaal calls for more equality and better representation.
The small-scale character of the Caribbean islands together with the poorly fitting Dutch administrative model causes democratic shortcomings. That will be the message of Wouter Veenendaal, Professor by Special Appointment of Kingdom Relations, in his inaugural lecture on 10 March. The six Caribbean islands have relatively few inhabitants. Curaçao, the largest island, has around the same number of inhabitants as the city of Amersfoort. The smallest island, Saba, is comparable with the island of Vlieland. This small scale means politicians and voters can easily find each other. The
‘Many island residents feel like second-rate citizens’
Colonial pattern
This concentration of power is a pattern stemming from colonial times. In exchange for their vote, many voters expect certain favours from politicians, but that also makes them less likely to speak out about the administration. ‘Many residents criticise political corruption in opinion polls, but they vote for the same politicians regardless’, says Veenendaal.
Head versus heart
The Netherlands Antilles was dissolved in 2010, with Curaçao and Sint Maarten continuing as autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a status held by Aruba since 1986. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius gained the status of special municipality of the Netherlands. Despite dissatisfaction at the imbalanced relations, research shows that most Caribbean island residents do not want independence. They value the benefits of the Kingdom, such as economic support, a Dutch passport and protection. Veenendaal calls this the ‘head versus heart’ dilemma: the emotional desire for independence clashing with the pragmatic choice of being part of the Netherlands.
Different administrative model
Another problem is that the Caribbean islands have an administrative model that does not seem to fit the local situation. ‘These political institutions developed over the centuries in the European Netherlands and were transposed too easily to the Caribbean islands’, says Veenendaal. Proportional representation combined with the informal and person-focused politics results in fragile coalitions and constant instability on at least four of the six islands. And the dualistic municipality model introduced in 2012 is a poor fit for Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.
Inadequate representation
Alongside political problems on the islands, Veenendaal has identified various patterns that undermine the democracy at the level of the Kingdom. ‘Formally, the four countries within the Kingdom are equal, but in practice the Netherlands is politically and institutionally dominant’, says Veenendaal.
The Council of Ministers, which makes decisions for the entire Kingdom, is only accountable to the Dutch parliament. Most residents of the Caribbean countries are not represented in the Dutch House of Representatives, while laws enacted there apply to the entire Kingdom. ‘This increases the inequality and the feeling of many island residents that they are second-class citizens.’
‘I hope my chair will increase knowledge and mutual understanding on both sides of the ocean’
More participation
Veenendal gives possible solutions in his inaugural lecture, including adding three Caribbean seats to the current 150 in the Dutch House of Representatives, so the Caribbean countries are also represented in parliament. In the coming years, he wants to conduct comparative research on other autonomous island regions, including Greenland and Guadeloupe, to see whether democratic representation is better organised there.
Focus on collaboration
Veenendaal is in the process of recruiting three local research assistants for a Kingdom-wide research team. ‘I want to work as much as possible with Caribbean universities and researchers in the coming years’, he says. He will also work with these researchers to set up a knowledge centre to foster democratic citizenship. And knowledge is also lacking in the European Netherlands, he notes. For his inaugural lecture, Veenendaal commissioned an opinion poll and only a quarter of the 3,000 Dutch respondents said they were familiar with Kingdom Relations. ‘I hope my chair will increase knowledge and mutual understanding on both sides of the ocean.’
Photo: Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (Larry Syverson/Flickr)