THE HAGUE – “We have to work towards a system where we tackle the underlying issues that lead to criminal behavior. Research has shown that it mostly has to do with poverty.”
These are the words of Quincy Gario, candidate for BIJ1, in debate with CDA MP Chris van Dam about whether or not the Kingdom should take over the enforcement of the rule of law on the islands.
Debates
In the lead up to the Parliamentary elections, Caribbean Network will organize debates with MP’s and candidates who fight for or are going to fight for the islands.
Van Dam has been saying for over a year that the enforcement of the rule of law on the islands should be taken over. The CDA MP says it’s ‘a major task for small countries such as Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten to take care of all of this themselves.’
‘More funds to the islands’
Gario: “We have to work towards restorative justice not punishment. We know that there are a lot of people who on a daily basis don’t know if they will have something to eat. Investing in expensive penitentiaries where people who are looking for a way out of poverty will be locked up, will not solve that problem in my opinion”, says Gario.
This is one of the reasons that more funds have to flow to the islands, Gario notes. Van Dam’s view is the opposite of this, according to him more funds should not be sent to the islands because ‘the money disappears into the pockets of officials.’
Watch the segment where this topic was discussed:
The entire debate can be viewed here (Dutch spoken)
If it’s up to BIJ1, the Kingdom Council of Ministers would be abolished and a new construct for Kingdom wide deliberations would be implemented. Van Dam says that he is open to an adjusted version of the Kingdom Council of Ministers but doesn’t believe that the Netherlands acts as an oppressor within the council. “These are necessary relationships. We have to keep on communicating with each other”, says Van Dam.
Watch the segment where this topic was discussed:
The entire debate can be viewed here (Dutch spoken)
During the first out of a total of four debates which Caribbean Network will organize this week, the following statement was also discussed; should Caribbean students be able to study for free in the Netherlands? Van Dam doesn’t want to distinguish between students and says ‘that a boy or girl from Amsterdam or Groningen also knows that it’s not for free.’
Gario believes that all students should be able to study for free, but that Caribbean students have an extra right to this because the islands are being forced to reform by The Hague and that this will also mean cuts to education.
Watch the segment where this topic was discussed:
