Opinion Daily Herald: Made to wait

Today’s news that the Dutch Government is willing to supplement possible losses in pension years of (former) civil servants and teaching personnel who worked in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (the BES islands) before October 10, 2010, is obviously most welcome.

While a number of these public sector employees for whatever reason were not properly registered in the administration of – no longer existent – Antillean Pension Fund APNA taken over by Caribbean Netherlands Pension Fund PCN, certainly if pay slips show their premiums were in fact deducted they should not be left out in the cold.

Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk said based on a current investigation it could be necessary to provide PCN with additional means to restore the rights of this duped group. The latter now at least have some assurance of their plight being neither forgotten nor ignored on the highest political level in The Hague.

Apparently it concerns 130 files, which might not seem all that many, but for the three relatively small overseas special public entities is actually quite a bit. Besides, it’s not so much about the numbers, but rather individuals and social consequences for them as well as their families.

One can understand PCN wanting to make sure addressing the issue is not at the cost of its other clients, which is where the National Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN comes in. Trying to go after those responsible for not transferring the money in the fi rst place sounds good and just, but such an exercise is not likely to produce much anytime soon and the people involved can be made to wait no longer.

The Daily Herald’s editorial.