By NOS -Dick Drayer

Oranjestad, St. Eustatius- Today, more than 2000 residents on St. Eustatius can vote for their own Island Council. It is the starting point for the restoration of democracy.

The Netherlands intervened in the year 2018 because the administration of St. Eustatius had turned away from the existing legal and state order and was no longer willing to let go of its appropriated autonomy.

Today’s elections are part of a four-phase plan previously drawn up by State Secretary Raymond Knops. After today, the elected Island Council may still not elect an Executive Council or Island Governor as of yet. Nor may it propose changes to the Budget. Government Commissioner Marnix van Rij continues to wield the scepter and retains the right of veto on everything that the Island Council decides in the coming months.

Three parties

Three parties take part in the elections: Democratic Party (DP), Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and United People’s Coalition (UPC) with a total of 26 candidates. They are the same parties with almost the same persons as when the Netherlands intervened. DP and PLP are expected to split the five seats at stake.

Clyde van Putten, seen by many as the instigator of the administrative disorder for 2018, is on the list of the PLP as a ‘list pusher’. Almost everyone, except for his own party members, thinks that the politician will return to the Island Council with preferential votes.

The Democratic Party is its great rival. After the Dutch intervention, this party has always adapted to the new role under Hague authority. Although not happy with the four-step plan, the party does accept the phased return to democracy. Number two on the list, former Island Council member and Commissioner Koos Sneek, denounces the current situation in which “there is no administrative transparency and nobody knows what is happening and why”.

The coming months will show in how far St. Eustatius really is in the process of restoring democracy -Marnix van Rij, Government Commissioner

Today’s elections are also of crucial importance for the Netherlands. The PLP is still campaigning to eventually achieve a form of self-government and turns against the Netherlands. If the party gets a majority, that would be a considerable setback for The Hague, which is literally working hard to repair roads and other infrastructure to show that it has good will. Should the PLP achieve a majority, that would be a blow in the face of The Hague.

Government Commissioner Van Rij thinks differently about this. “After today, the Island Council and the Government Commissioner will join forces to work together intensively. We are going to make a plan and timeline. The better that goes, the faster we can go to step two, where the Island Council can again appoint its own executive council and the coming months will show how far St. Eustatius really is in the process of restoring democracy. “

Covid

Today’s elections are also of crucial importance for the Netherlands. The PLP is still campaigning to eventually achieve a form of self-government and turns against the Netherlands. If the party gets a majority, that would be quite a setback for The Hague, which is literally working hard to repair roads and other infrastructure to show that it has good will. Should the PLP achieve a majority, that would be a blow in the face of The Hague.

Government Commissioner Van Rij thinks differently about this. “After today, the Island Council and the Government Commissioner will join forces to work together intensively. We are going to make a plan and timeline. The better that goes, the faster we can go to step two, where the Island Council can again appoint its own Executive Council and The coming months will show how far St. Eustatius really is in the process of restoring democracy. “

Covid

It remains to be seen whether the more than 2,000 voters will actually go to the polls. Van Rij: “Elections under the Covid regime in Jamaica and nearby Antigua have shown that ten percent fewer people will vote. Because of Covid, we have now set up two polling stations to spread the people, hopefully that will also lead to a better turnout. people really don’t vote, you can do that by proxy. “

Koos Sneek of the Democratic Party thinks the turnout may be disappointing. “The people who think that the Netherlands is doing well may stay at home. After all, things are going well. We focus on those people, which is difficult because of covid. I am on the street every day, but cannot hold meetings. Moreover, there is a curfew. Fortunately, we have a better presence on social media than the other parties. That is to our advantage today. “

Read the original article here.

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