Curacao---14 Sept. 2006---Together with the island territories of Bonaire and Saba, the National Government is going to approach the Netherlands for extra financial aid for the smaller islands of the Antilles.  This was agreed upon during the National-level coalition meeting.

The representatives of the coalition parties UPB (Bonaire) and WIPM (Saba) brought up that their island governments have a lot of trouble paying their taxes.  It was then decided that these islands would approach the Dutch cabinet together.  This morning, UPB-leader Ramonsito Booi mentioned the necessity for a short-term solution to be considered as an intermediate solution till the new political status for Bonaire.

Booi was pleased with yesterday’s settlement.  He pointed out that the smaller islands of the Antilles can no longer cope with the current situation.  “We have raised this matter with the National Government at numerous occasions.  The National Government has to take care of the smaller islands, but when we appeal to the central government for help, they tell us that we need to stick to our budgets and that they do not have enough financial means.” 

But Booi says that this is not what really happened in Bonaire.  “As island, we are coping with another reality.  We cannot even think in terms of budget deficit, but in terms of liquidity.  The money that comes in is immediately spent again.  When we took office a few years ago, we were in an economic dip with debts.  We have consciously made a choice then to invest in the tourism and economic development, and because of this, we are now on the rise economically.”  He now says that by making that choice, the debt of the island territory has increased more.   “But we had no other choice; we were damned if we did and damned if we didn’t.  As a small island we also have to do with the fact that the Solidarity-fund (for the financially weak islands, editor) does not take last year’s increased costs into account.  That doesn’t help us.”

Source: amigoe.com