Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten must meet strict conditions in order to be eligible for a second package of corona support for the next six weeks. This is evident from a letter from State Secretary Knops of Kingdom Relations to the Kingdom Council of Ministers, which is in the hands of the NOS.
It concerns a support package totaling EUR 370 million. Yesterday, there was unexpectedly no agreement on the package, according to Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath of Curaçao because the Netherlands has “unrealistic requirements”, without it being clear what they entail.
Beams standard
It now appears that the requirements include the salaries of politicians, civil servants and directors of public companies. The Netherlands wants ministers and members of Parliament to hand over a quarter of their package of employment conditions on the three islands. 12.5 percent is required of civil servants and employees of public companies.
Top officials within the civil service are allowed to earn up to 130 percent of the Prime Minister’s salary. This also applies to consultants who are hired. This Caribbean variant of the beams standard still has to be determined per island and then applies to all existing and new employment contracts.
Transparency and reforms
Furthermore, unconditional transparency is required from Curaçao about the situation in the financial sector and the state of the public companies. Sint Maarten must implement the previously agreed pension reforms.
In early July, the Kingdom Council of Ministers will again discuss liquidity support, but in the longer term. That support will not be given directly to the islands, but through an external party, so that The Netherlands can focus on results. If the islands do not meet the short-term requirements, no long-term financial support can be claimed.
‘Not an errand boy from the Netherlands’
State Secretary Knops has repeatedly said that he wants to see serious progress on the islands. On Wednesday, the islands will say whether they can meet the set conditions.
Prime Minister Rhuggenaath says that Curaçao is busy with austerity measures, including a major reorganization of the civil service. But according to him, the Netherlands sets “conditions that we cannot meet despite all efforts”.
In a press conference leading up to discussions in the Netherlands about the aid, he emphasized that he was “not an errand boy” in the Netherlands.
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