Comply or explain
Explain it, or just do it.
Equality as a starting point
Fifteen years after 10-10-10, the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles, the promise remains the same: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are no longer colonies, but part of the Netherlands.
On paper, much has changed since then. In practice, residents often experience it differently.
Two consecutive cabinets emphasized the ambition of equality.
The main guiding principle here is "comply or explain": new policies from The Hague are in principle also introduced in the Caribbean Netherlands, unless there are good reasons not to.
How that choice is made determines in practice the degree of equality.
Progress, but not the end point
In recent years, clear progress has been made.
Healthcare and education have improved. Social housing has been built, and there are structural subsidies for drinking water and electricity to keep high costs down.
The minimum wage has also been raised significantly.
On Bonaire, it rose from 1,236 dollars per month in 2023 to 1,750 dollars as of July 1, 2024. Since then, the amount is adjusted yearly based on local inflation.
At the same time, the gap to full equality remains large.
About a third of the residents live in poverty.
On top of that, part of the income improvement is cancelled out by the end of temporary purchasing power subsidies, such as those for electricity, drinking water, and the energy allowance as of January 1, 2025.
For many residents, this leads to the feeling that progress is not permanent.
When policy is not self-evident
Shortly after I was sworn into the House of Representatives in 2023, this became very clear to me.
The Caribbean media reported on the extension of the fuel tax discount in European Netherlands.
That discount turned out not to apply to the islands, because they were not explicitly included in the motion.
This was explained as an oversight. For residents, however, it raises the question of how naturally they are included in national policy.
This issue plays out in other areas as well.
The situation around waste processing at Lagun on Bonaire has been a cause for concern for years.
Reports point out risks to health and the environment, and inspectors speak of an urgent situation.
Yet a lasting solution is taking a long time, and the problem continues to drag on.
A member of parliament noted that this would be unthinkable on the Dutch islands of Texel or Vlieland.
A local resident put it even more sharply: "you are simply a second-class citizen."
The need for custom solutions
At the same time, people on the islands also point out the need for custom solutions.
The local context is very different from that in the European Netherlands.
This applies, for example, to spatial planning. Where Dutch regulations assume flat land, that is not the case on Saba.
Labor laws can also work out differently in small-scale communities.
That calls for a careful decision when applying policies. In that light, "comply or explain" is an understandable principle.
It offers space to take local circumstances into account.
At the same time, it places demands on how it is handled.
Between principle and practice
In practice, residents and local leaders feel that these choices are not always transparent.
It often remains unclear if and when policies are applied.
The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights has pointed this out repeatedly, emphasizing that explanations are often limited and alternatives are not always worked out.
Equality is therefore not just a matter of policy, but also of execution.
That requires commitment from all parties involved. Local government and administrative capacity also play a role in carrying out policies.
At the same time, it is clear that full equality comes with significant costs and organizational challenges.
That makes the issue complex, but also highlights the importance of making clear choices and setting priorities.
More than a promise on paper
Critics argue that "comply or explain" has not yet brought the intended equality close enough.
When "explain" is used too easily, it can lead to delay instead of a solution.
The experience with the missed fuel discount shows how big the impact of seemingly small decisions can be.
Not so much because of the measure itself, but because of what it means for people's feeling of belonging.
As long as residents of the Caribbean Netherlands are not automatically included in national policy, equality remains for many mostly a promise on paper.
