The Netherlands must be more generous with support for Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten

It is questionable how many tourists fancy a holiday on Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten. By far the most important source of income on the islands.

Tourists are welcome again this week, but several crises have flooded the islands in recent months. Hurricane Irma rushed past, neighboring Venezuela went into a deep economic recession and overcame the corona crisis – which caused severe economic blows.

A number of Dutch people involved made an appeal this weekend: the Netherlands should think about a support package with ‘compassion and a warm heart on the one hand and a cool mind on the other’.

That support package of 370 million euros is there. But there are strict conditions attached to this. For example, the salaries of civil servants and directors of public companies must be reduced by 12.5 percent.

Is it justified for the Netherlands to maintain strict conditions for aid? Or should the Netherlands respond to the cry for help from the islands?

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