Dutch Caribbean islands to hold referendum Friday on future status

by Stephanie van den Berg

Thursday, April 7, 2005

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP): Curacao, the largest island of the Dutch Antilles, and tiny Sint Eustatius will hold a referendum on their future status Friday with options ranging from becoming a province of the Netherlands to complete independence.

Even though local authorities have announced that the results of the referendums are binding, it is a long way to a possible independence poll show the voters do not favour this option and in any case the government in The Hague has the final say in the matter.

"Every island can have their say in the course they want to take in future but if an island decides for example that it wants to become an autonomous country in the kingdom of the Netherlands, the kingdom of the Netherlands has to agree to that," Norman Serphos, spokesman for the Dutch Antilles government in the Netherlands explained.

The Netherlands has said it is willing to review its relationship with the islands of the Dutch Antilles but the details still have to be hammered out.

"How the relationships within the kingdom of the Netherlands will be arranged remains to be seen. This will have to be part of negotiations with the Netherlands," Tijs Manten, spokesman for the Dutch ministry of kingdom relations said.

At present the Dutch Antilles are made up of five islands, Curacao, which has the most inhabitants, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

Although the islands are an integral part of the kingdom of the Netherlands they have their own government.

These last years there is not much political unity in the five islands of the Antilles and nearly all islands are in favour of disbanding the Dutch Antilles central government. The smaller islands feel that too much attention and money from the Netherlands is lavished on Curacao.

Curacao and Sint Eustatius are the last islands to hold referendums on their political future. In May 2000 a majority of voters in Sint Maarten chose the so-called Status Aparte, becoming an autonomous state within the kingdom of the Netherlands.

In the autumn of 2004 months Bonaire and Saba voted to become part of the Netherlands.

The referendums on Curacao and Sint Eustatius will let voters choose between four different options. They can choose a status quo, with their island remaining a member of the Dutch Antilles.

A second option is for the island to become an autonomous state within the kingdom of the Netherlands, the Status Aparte.

Another choice is o become a province of the Netherlands. Finally, the islanders could also vote for independence.

Curacao has some 130,000 inhabitants with 114,500 people eligible to vote because the voting age was lowered to 16 years for the referendum. Most political parties support the option of Curacao becoming an autonomous state within the kingdom of the Netherlands, as the neighbouring island of Aruba is already., already has a status aparte within the Netherlands.

A poll published by Curacao's Amigoe paper in February showed that 37 percent of the 350 potential voters polled would vote for Curacao to become a province of the Netherlands. The Netherlands currently has 12 provinces.

Thirty percent said they would opt for the status aparte and 12 percent wanted to remain part of the Dutch Antilles. Only 5 percent chose independence.

If none of the four possible options get an absolute majority of more than 50 percent in Friday's vote there will be a second round of voting on April 15 between the two options that got the most votes.

On tiny Sint Eustatius (population 3,000) the political parties are mostly in favour of the status quo to remain a part of the Dutch Antilles. 

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