19/04/2021
End of food assistance near, 4800 households in need
PHILIPSBURG - In less than two weeks, Dutch-funded food aid on St Maarten will come to an end. This means that 4,800 families that depend on this aid will be in even greater need. Due to the corona pandemic now more than a quarter of the population of St. Maarten is living in absolute poverty.
The Collective Food Program of the Netherlands Red Cross, St Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), K1 DIRECT, C.O.M.E Center and Freegan Food Foundation would run until July 1. This was announced by the Dutch government in March this year. At the time, at the suggestion of State Secretary Raymond Knops of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Dutch cabinet allocated an additional 15.2 million euros for the food aid program in Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten. "With these resources, food aid is guaranteed until July 1, 2021."
State Secretary Knops: “The cabinet's stance has always been based on the principle that the Netherlands should not leave the most vulnerable people out in the cold. During my last working visit I experienced how dire the situation is in some places within our Kingdom. It is very important that the food aid program is continued in the coming period.”
Two weeks after the announcement of the extension of the food aid, the Netherlands suspended the promised corona support to St Maarten because of a petition that a large part of the country's parliament, including coalition parties, has submitted to the United Nations. In that complaint, parliamentarians described the conditions for Dutch support as 'racist' and 'neo-colonial'. This has led to a stalemate between the Netherlands and St. Maarten, which does not benefit the population of the island, said State Secretary Knops during a debate in the Senate on 6 April last.
"How will the money tap reopen and under what conditions?" Senator Boris Dittrich asked State Secretary Knops during the debate. Dittrich: “I have the feeling that the population of St. Maarten is now being punished because there is a conflict situation between the island government and the State Secretary. Surely it cannot be the intention that the population has to pay the price for this?"
According to State Secretary Knops, the action at the United Nation can be interpreted as “a slap in the face of a country within the Kingdom that wants to help you”. The suggestion that the Netherlands has colonial and racial intentions has gone wrong with Knops. “Those are very big words, and I think we should get clarification about this within our Kingdom. At the moment I am still in that process between the government of St. Maarten and the parliament of St. Maarten, so I cannot say anything about that at the moment, other than that I sincerely hope that St. Maarten makes the right choices in the matter. interest of its own residents.”
Pictured: Volunteers of K1 Britannia Foundation packing food boxes for families in need in the warehouse donated by George Pelgrim.
Picture by K1 Britannia Foundation
