Almost 119,000 voters on Curaçao, a former Dutch colony in the Caribbean, will get a say in the future of their island this Friday. A referendum offers a choice between ’sí’ or ‘nò’ to a deal brokered between the local Curaçao government and the Netherlands. If the population agrees, the Dutch state will take responsibility for 1.7 billion euros of the Dutch Antilles debt – most of which was built up by Curaçao. But in exchange the Dutch want supervision over state spending and the maintenance of law and order.
The Dutch say the deal is a final offer. But the opposition parties in Curaçao are offended by the agreement made between the governments; they accuse the Netherlands of neo-colonialism.
The relationship between the Netherlands and its former Caribbean colonies has always been thorny. Curaçao is currently part of the Dutch Antilles, a seperate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. But that country is set to be disolved next year. What it will be replaced with is currently the subject of intense debate. After years of negotiations, the scenario on the table now is that Curaçao and St. Maarten will become independent countries – as Aruba already is – within the kingdom, whereas the remaining smaller islands – Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba – will become special municipalities of the Netherlands itself.
The latest polls indicate the referendum race is too close to call. If the sí-vote comes out on top, the transition will proceed as planned, as will the restructuring of most of Curaçao’s debt. But if the nò-camp wins, the consequences are far from clear.
