PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations, Ronald Plasterk bade Sint Maarten and politics farewell during his last send-off tour through the Dutch Caribbean islands.
“It is good to be here, presumably the last time as the Minister of Kingdon Affairs. Those of you who like statistics, a colleague reminded me that on August 20 will be the date of that we have longest sitting cabinet in the history of the Netherlands, which is over four and a half years. This makes me the longest sitting minister of kingdom affairs.” The minister stated at the press conference held at the end of the day.
Video : Laura Bijnsdorp
Plasterk ended the press conference mentioning that after his term as Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations he “will retire from politics for good but keep a close eye on the progress of the islands, as a Dutch citizen.”
Plasterk highlighted the importance of continuing collaboration between the countries in the Dutch Kingdom to improve the lives of its citizens while adhering to the rules and regulations within the new statuses.
“I have seen it as my role in the last couple of years to be precise in figuring out who is responsible for what. We also discussed this with the cabinet of Sint Maarten this afternoon, because also in the Netherlands, at times we have to clarify which responsibilities lie with Sint Maarten and not with the second chamber.”