The Netherlands should not assume a “paternalistic” attitude in its relations with Dutch public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. That is according to the draft election programme of the Dutch democratic party D66 titled “And now forward!” (En nu vooruit!)
“The Netherlands carries the responsibility for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The transition to special municipalities is accompanied by the necessary growing pains.” D66 wants The Netherlands to assume a “constructive” attitude without paternalism. It further wants a digital contact point for residents of the three islands where they can go with questions, suggestions and complaints about the (Dutch) government.
The draft election programme also stated that D66 wants The Netherlands to cooperate with good governance, capacity growth, exchange of knowhow, digital citizen communication and financial strength as a “trustworthy partner.”
D66 Member of the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber Wassila Hachchi, the party’s current spokesperson for Kingdom Relations in Parliament, has been placed at number 12 on the slate for the September 12 elections. In the last elections in 2010, Hachchi (32) ran as number five on the slate. Polls anticipate that D66 will take 16 to 17 seats in the Second Chamber, which means that Hachchi stands a good chance of staying on as a Member of Parliament (MP).
The D66 slate with a total of 25 candidates is headed by party leader Alexander Pechtold, followed by current MPs Stientje van Veldhoven and Wouter Koolmees.
Source: “The Daily Herald” 2012-06-25
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We can’t thank Mrs Hachchi enough for standing up for the people of the islands over the past few years. That’s maybe why they put her now from place five to place thirteen on their election list. Now even more then ever, thank you and keep up the good work.