KRALENDIJK – Representatives from the island councils of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are touring the parliaments of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten this week to rally support for equal treatment and a stronger voice within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The move comes in response to the draft revision of the WolBES law, which assigns the Kingdom’s Representative (Rijksvertegenwoordiger) the role of “watchdog for good governance.” The BES islands argue that this function undermines local autonomy and hampers their ability to act independently. They have long called for the abolition of the position.

In a statement, the Bonaire Island Council expressed frustration at being sidelined during the consultation process. “Although the draft is open to public input, the voice of the islands is drowned out by the majority in the European Netherlands, where there is often little understanding of our unique circumstances,” the council said.

The delegation’s mission is to gain moral support from the other Caribbean countries within the Kingdom and to present a united front in The Hague. “It is about us, but without us. That cannot and must not happen. We call on the people of Bonaire and our partners in the Kingdom to stand together for a fair and balanced position for all six islands,” the statement continued.

The BES delegation includes five members of Bonaire’s Island Council — Désirée Coffie, Rolanda Hellburg-Makaai, Daniel Crestian, Cyril Vrolijk and Benito Dirksz — along with Anthony Weber, Bonaire’s Commissioner for Constitutional Affairs, and Clyde van Putten from the Sint Eustatius Island Council. Saba’s Island Council opted not to travel but will participate digitally in the meetings with the parliaments.

By directly appealing to Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, the BES islands hope to strengthen their position in the ongoing debate over governance and equality within the Kingdom.