MP Özütok wants Knops to talk with the Ombudsman about inequality in the Caribbean Netherlands

Member of Parliament Nevin Özütok (GroenLinks) wants State Secretary Raymond Knops of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to discuss with National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, what measures are needed to combat poverty in the Caribbean Netherlands and to reduce inequality between the Caribbean and European Netherlands.

Özütok responds with her request to the minister to statements made by Van Zutphen last week at the presentation in Leiden of the Caribbean Criminal Law Handbook by professor Arjen van Rijn. On that occasion, the Ombudsman said that he was shocked by the first results of the investigation that his organization is doing into the poverty on the BES islands. By allowing misconduct on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba to continue, the Netherlands deserves to receive an instruction from the Council of Ministers, according Van Zutphen.

Özütok responded with approval and today submitted written questions to Knops: “Do you know that the National Ombudsman is calling for an instruction from the Council of Ministers to the Netherlands for the existence of the distressing, greatly increased poverty on Sint Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire and for the other major differences in basic social provisions between the Caribbean and European Netherlands? If so, what do you think of this message? ”

And: “Are you prepared to consider, in close consultation with the National Ombudsman, what measures must be taken to reduce the established poverty and inequality between the Caribbean and European Netherlands? If not, why not? If so. what measures do you propose? ”

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