THE HAGUE – “Burden or Benefit?” is the title of a compilation in which forty stakeholders from all parts of the Kingdom share their perspectives on the significance of the Kingdom Charter (Statuut), which will mark its 70th anniversary on December 15.

Compilers René Zwart and Glenn Thodé opted for a broader approach than purely constitutional law when inviting guest writers, including voices from the new generation following Kingdom relations. The diverse backgrounds of the authors and their resulting variety of viewpoints and convictions offer the reader a colorful mosaic of reflections—ranging from legally rigorous to lighthearted, from opinionated to outright activist, from sober to passionate, and everything in between.

Contributors include former prime ministers Don Martina, Maria Liberia-Peters, Etienne Ys, Suzy Camelia-Römer, Henny Eman, and Mike Eman; current and former parliamentarians; Vice President of the Council of State for the Kingdom Thom de Graaf; independence advocates James Finies (Bonaire) and Rhoda Arrindell (Sint Maarten); National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen; Surinamese author Cynthia Mc Leod; former minister Jan Pronk, who wished the Netherlands Antilles had left the Kingdom alongside Suriname; and Member of Parliament Peter van Haasen of the ruling PVV party.

On whether the Charter is a burden or a benefit, the compilation offers no definitive answer. “If there is a common thread, it is the observation that the Charter both unites and divides. Yet, despite 70 years of practice—or struggle, if you will—the ‘constitution of the Kingdom’ remains vibrant,” the compilers state.

The 232-page book opens with a poem by Walter Palm (Curaçao), whose work inspired the cover. The foreword is written by Pieter van Vollenhoven, former chairman of the Kingdom Relations Committee.

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Emeritus professor of colonial and postcolonial history Gert Oostindie concludes the compilation. The book has been printed in limited quantities, but is available for free download as an e-book or PDF from www.dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl