Wouter Veenendaal and Oberon Nauta wrote an opinion-article about the Kingdomrelations, 16 years after ‘10.10.10’. The article ‘Towards a Kingdom without second-class citizenship‘ was published online and on the website of de Volkskrant, October 2026.
Introduction
Sixteen years after 10-10-10, the conclusion is inescapable: the autonomy of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten demands more in key areas than can reasonably be expected of these small-scale nations. When government functions stall, public services deteriorate, or fundamental rights come under pressure, the Kingdom sometimes steps in to help. However, this often happens selectively, on an ad hoc basis, and almost invariably on Dutch terms.
Greater say in Kingdom
While the autonomy of the countries remains formally intact, a de facto administrative no-man’s-land emerges—one for which Caribbean citizens of the Kingdom pay the price through inferior education, fragile healthcare systems, environmental issues, and reduced livelihood security. The way forward lies not in yet another temporary oversight arrangement, but in a fundamental redistribution of responsibilities. Inextricably linked to this is a second step: granting the Caribbean territories a much greater say within the Kingdom itself.
Read the complete article, written by Wouter Veenendaal & Oberon Nauta.
