Dutch Labour Party PvdA Member of Parliament (MP) Jeroen Recourt sought clarification on media reports that the UP party of Theo Heyliger bought votes in the last island election.
Recourt cited two articles, one in the Curaçao newspaper Antilliaans Dagblad and the other in the Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad. Antilliaans Dagblad in its September 17 edition headlined "Duncan: Heyliger buys votes." In the article, Minister Roland Duncan said that Heyliger had restored the old methods of his grandfather Claude Wathey by buying votes. NRC Handelsblad on September 18 referred to reports that the UP party "bought votes on a large scale."
Recourt asked Dutch caretaker State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten if what Duncan had claimed had any truth to it: that votes had been bought through laptops, payment of school fees, rent, electricity bills, a fridge and building blocks. "Is it true that multiple voting cards have been issued per person?" asked Recourt.
Recourt, a former Judge of the Joint Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, inquired whether buying of votes was punishable by law on the islands. "To what extent is the handing out of goods by political parties in violation of the oath that public representatives have taken or will take? What measures does the local government take against these kinds of activities?"
Dear Editor our current Minister of Justice should answer the questions of the MP Recourt as he is now in the position of addressing the issues he adamantly and boldly pointed out against the current Minister Theo Heyliger and his party. The current Minister of Justice Roland Duncan should indicate what his views are now since he has now joined the UP/DP government. Are they the same? Will he pursue justice and investigate his own claims? Are we certain that our current Minister of Justice will live up to the oath taken to serve and protect our country when he has now teamed UP with the same questionable UP party?
I will send this article to MP Recourt as well because I am quite certain that he too and the rest of the Dutch is wondering the same thing I am wondering.
J. van Hennegen