State Secretary Knops meets crowd at airport St. Eustatius
ORANJESTAD – State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops arrived at St. Eustatius on a Winair private charter this morning, meeting a crowd, both for the intervention of the administration and against it. “See you this afternoon”, Knops said to the crowd at the airport.
This week the State Secretary submitted a bill to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer en Eerste Kamer) to be able to intervene administratively on St. Eustatius. Supporters approached Knops to voice their opinion. Others cheer on believing that this decision will ‘finally help the island’.
Opposition
While Knops got some support at the airport, not everybody is happy with the decision to take over the government on St.Eustatius. Tyrese Euson, recent graduate from the Netherlands states, “I feel worried! My people don’t understand that we are giving up our privacy. The Dutch are only here for the Dutch. They are coming to shut us down. In the end, I hope the best for Statia!”
King Willem-Alexander appointed former Curaçao MP Marcolino Franco as government commissioner for St. Eustatius. He will be with Knops at the town hall meeting on Wednesday afternoon.