PHILIPSBURG:--- A delegation of the Parliament of Sint Maarten is currently in The Netherlands participating in the 31st Congress and Trade Mission regarding “ Ten Years after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles”. The delegation comprises the President of Parliament, Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten, Members of Parliament Mr. Rolando Brison, Mr. Claudius A. Buncamper, and the Secretary-General of Parliament Mr. G.J. Richardson. The Congress began with an introduction by a Member of the First Chamber of the Netherlands and Chair of the Kingdom Relations Committee of the First Chamber Mr. Paul Rosenmoller. Mr. Rossenmoller reflected on the creation of 10-10-10 and indicated how he thinks we should look at the future. Mr. Rosenmoller was followed by a speaker who discussed the necessity to have a clear structure within the Kingdom and elaborated on his article: To a mature Kingdom (Naar een Volwassen Koninkrijk).
Ms. Bianca Maasdamme of ProgresCaribbean gave a presentation on the Circulair Kingdom touching on sustainable collaboration and change within the Kingdom which can be to the benefit of all partners within the Kingdom. She mentioned that the focus should be on the potentials, to exchange, strengthen and enrich. She also indicated that we are connected, yet still dependent on each other. Prof. Mr. Gerhard Hoogers was the following speaker and he discussed a post-statutory Kingdom and questioned if the Constitution of The Netherlands could support the Kingdom (again)? He mentioned that we have a Kingdom construct that raises a lot of questions and that the Constitution of The Netherlands could be a possible solution for the constitutional construction.
Prof Mr. Herman Broring discussed Dutch administrative law within the Kingdom of The Netherlands and the need for the updating of old legislation which if not done, creates the situation of execution based on policies which means the erosion of the legality principle which in turn means the weakening of the role of the Parliaments. Ms. Gohar Karapetian then presented the French perspective on 10-10-10 in which she looked at the French Republic with its overseas territories and compared it to the Dutch Caribbean and the Dutch Kingdom and questioned if such a system would work for the Dutch Kingdom also looking at the representation that the overseas territories and their people have within the French National Assembly and the French Senate.
The last speaker on today’s program was Mr. Aart Broek who presented a thought-provoking column titled: Bold Reckoning with Colonial Past (Stoutmoedige Afrekening met Koloniaal Verleden).
The first day ended with a panel discussion on the topic of Nationality and Citizenship in the Kingdom of The Netherlands. MP Rolando Brison, along with Members of Parliament of Aruba, Curacao, and The Netherlands, and professors and immigration lawyers participated in this panel discussion looking at what it means to be Dutch, our differences as people, and the Dutch passport.
The Congress is taking place at Nieuwspoort in The Hague and will continue tomorrow Thursday, December 9, 2021.