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December 3, 2008
bron SXM Island Time
A 17-page document of over 100 decisions made at the fourth BES Week in November were adopted by the Island Council in a well-paced three-hour meeting Tuesday afternoon.
All council members were present, with the exception of opposition leader Akilah Levenstone, who was excused. Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs Chris Johnson took an hour to give a concise overview of the many points, and the council was unanimous in its endorsement of the document.
In his description of the BES Week, Johnson described the meeting atmosphere as "volatile" when two different philosophies on the part of the Antilleans became apparent.
Some delegates were willing to see the Dutch as wanting the best for the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, whereas others viewed every move on the part of the Netherlands as having a "hidden agenda," Johnson related.
He cautioned that there are Dutch politicians who express a negative attitude toward the islands and in general Dutch public opinion is not on the side of the Netherlands Antilles.
Yet, the Saba representatives found that State Secretary State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, and the Dutch civil servants working in the ministries had the islands' best interests at heart. "We are dealing with a good partner who is living up to its obligations," Johnson commented.
Johnson said that three of the four "pillars" - health, education, and justice - are coming along with social welfare still needing some attention.
Some of the major points that are covered in the document are: Saba will have around-the-clock emergency evacuation in a medical helicopter. The currency will be the US dollar. An additional three Marechaussees will be on Saba next year and there will be more detective support.
A feasibility study will be undertaken to look into increasing telecom/Internet bandwidth to Saba via fibre-optic cable. A Regional Service Centre will open an office on Saba December 17, and the Saba delegation opted to have it staffed by Dutch civil servants who have direct links to the Dutch ministries until such time as local personnel can be trained. The tax situation was also discussed, but nothing has been finalized.
There was talk of adding a sales tax, which would affect everyone on the island, residents and visitors alike. This revenue would provide enough of a tax base to allow a reduction of residents' income tax.
Johnson said that the document would be available in English at the Administration Building Wednesday afternoon.
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