Dissent Is Democracy: An Analysis of the New Cabinet
May 18, 2024
Yesterday, after six months, we finally had white smoke: we have a coalition agreement and, therefore, a cabinet in the Netherlands. By Dutch standards, that is not long. There is already much to write about this cabinet. The cabinet replaces Mark Rutte after 14 years of neoliberal policy—a policy that satisfied many, especially in the early years. But now it is crisis after crisis, and public trust in the government has significantly decreased. These elections and this cabinet must set a course for correction. The agreement contains ten main points. To me, they seem more like the ten fears of the Netherlands. The new cabinet will work on a government program based on this coalition agreement with the following ten main issues:
1. Security of existence and purchasing power
2. Control of asylum and migration
3. Housing and public housing, infrastructure, public transport, and aviation; every region counts
4. A good future for agriculture and fisheries, for food security, for nature
5. Energy, supply security, and climate adaptation
6. Accessible public services: healthcare and education
7. Good governance and a strong rule of law
8. National security
9. International security
10. Solid government finances, economy, and business climate.
The agreement contains only one sentence about our islands: the islands are valuable. This means that our value is expressed in money. There are no deeper historical or cultural ties mentioned. Moreover, this cabinet is characterized by several major political parties without governing experience. This cabinet should actually usher in a transitional period to determine how the Netherlands should proceed. It does not really tackle the real global issues, such as the climate crisis, energy transition, and inequality, to name a few. That policy was more consistent with the left-wing parties. I fear that the Netherlands will not experience stability and peace for the time being. And that is not good news for Curaçao, which is struggling with enormous problems and does not have the capacity to solve them, having to rely on Dutch assistance.
Miguel Goede
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