THE BOTTOM – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Meet and Greet at Windwardside, Saba received a poor turnout with simply the Executive Council, Island Council,and a few Saban locals.
A concerned Saban said: “This was a wasted trip when coming here on Mother’s Day and leaving the next day in the morning. He should have come, meet and speak to the people instead of talking to only government officials that says everything is fine. Government cleans everything just before these visits, making things seem perfect. Maybe we should mash up things to bring their attention.”
Prime Minister Rutte praises Saba for handling after hurricane
The Prime Minister joined by State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops has been visiting Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius these couple of days. The delegation’s visit aims to provide Rutte with a view of the reconstruction work taking place on the islands.
Impressed
The Dutch Prime Minister commented:“I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen between yesterday and this morning. So much has happened since the hurricane season and I do realise that Saba was hit quite extremely compared to other hurricanes and other hurricane seasons. The island reacted
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Saba – foto: Esther Henry
so proactive to the whole population, with leadership. But also the people working together ensuring things were back to normal. Still work needs to be done, for example at the harbor.”
“I will keep on following events closely. We will stay involved and keep involved whenever we can. I would like to call everyone on Saba to keep working in spirit, of joining hand and hand making sure this beautiful island goes to complete normalcy as soon as possible.”
Preparation for hurricane season
“Despite the distance between Saba and De Haag, there is good cooperation. I was impressed by the way Saba is preparing for the next hurricane season again. There was a very good job done last year, very efficient, readily active with the crisis. The governor will be visiting the Netherlands to present information to the mayors on how to act on crisis like these,” said State Secretary Knops also.
Island Governor Jonathan Johnson stated: “The local government together with the Ministry responsible for the restoration of the airport are looking into having a ferry from Saba to St. Maarten. The medical flights will still be possible with the helicopter pads.”