Van Putten criticizes exclusion of Statia Island Council during State Secretary visit

STATIA--Leader of the Progressive Labor Party faction in the Island Council of St. Eustatius, Councilman Clyde van Putten, has raised serious concerns regarding what he described as a continued pattern of behavior by Dutch government officials toward the elected representatives of St. Eustatius, the Island Council.

Councilman van Putten specifically referred to the ongoing visit of Dutch State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eric van der Burg, who is on his first official visit to the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom since assuming office.

Councilman van Putten stated that he took note of the fact that, on all the islands, the new State Secretary will be meeting with the Councils of Ministers and Parliaments of Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten, while he will be meeting with the Executive and Island Councils of Saba and Bonaire. On St. Eustatius, however, he will solely meet with the Executive Council, and the Island Council is seemingly being snubbed, or excluded.

He said it is not the first time that this type of repulsive behavior has been carried out by Dutch officials, and he is publicly questioning the motive for this unfortunate situation.

Councilman van Putten is also raising the alarm and questioning whether this practice is being done in concert with, and with the approval of, the powers that be on Statia.

Very often, Councilman van Putten said, these official visits to the islands are well scripted and carefully crafted, with schedules put together in such a way that selected individuals and entities are invited to meet Dutch officials with the intention of telling them what they want to hear. The powers that be, he said, very often and deliberately avoid having persons present at the table who will tell the Dutch officials very bluntly, to their face, what the realities are on the island.

“May I remind the State Secretary and Dutch Officials in general that the Island Council is the highest body which was directly elected by the people in a democratic, free and fair election to represent them and make decisions on their behalf.”

Regarding the handing over of historic Fort Oranje on Thursday, April 9, 2026, from the Dutch Government to the Government of St. Eustatius, Councilman van Putten said that he welcomes this development, as it is in keeping with a motion that he presented on February 3, 2022, requesting the Dutch authorities to retrieve all properties on St. Eustatius that were formerly owned by the federal government of the now defunct Netherlands Antilles. The motion was unanimously approved by the Island Council at the time.

Councilman van Putten said, regrettably however, that he will not attend the handing over ceremony on Thursday afternoon due to the disrespect shown by the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations during his visit to the island and his deliberate failure to meet with the Island Council.

“I am not going to be a part of any photo opp, cutting of ribbons or presenting a bouquet of flowers. The People of St. Eustatius did not elect me for that,” stated Mr. van Putten.

He concluded by stating that if the State Secretary does not recognize the many problems the island is being confronted with, and the need to discuss these and many other global issues with the elected representatives of Statia, then he, Councilman van Putten, does not have time to be a part of any facade.

‍