Top of Police Union considers Congress too costly

The presidents of the general police union NAPB for Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, Statia and Bonaire) believe that another format should be considered for the union’s national congress held annually, as holding it on a different island each year is very costly. President of the NAPB for the Caribbean Netherlands Charles Mercelina told reporters at this year’s congress that his union forked out approximately US $15,000 to attend this year’s congress in St. Maarten. He said ticket prices for the six delegation members alone amounted to some US $10,000. “This is money that is given to us by our members and we think that the money from all members has to be spent in another way,” he said.

He said the three NAPB unions can still have the congress in another format such as via video conferencing, Skype or via another method. “We are spending two to three days at the congress and spending US $50,000 (the amount Curaçao NAPB spent). I can’t say its money not spent well, but there are better ways to spend it,” Mercelina added. The union president said he would have been proposing that the format of the congress be changed as a cost saving measure at this year’s forum.

NAPB Cura.ao President Ronald Abrahams expressed hope that the board “takes the right decisions” at the congress as it relates to this issue. “I would like to see important decision of what will happen to the board of the national congress. I think that it should be changed because it is too expensive and it is funded by our members.

The two-day national congress began on Thursday and ended on Friday. The final decision on the future of the congress could not be ascertained.