Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) Positive Outcome Story: Overcoming political differences for a common goal in Sint Eustatius
For the 17 August 2023 edition of the Sint Eustatius Government Town Hall, an attentive group of people gathered – both online and in person. But this was different from other Town Halls. For one, every single member of the Island Council – Sint Eustatius’s highest administrative body – was sitting in front of the participants alongside the Island Commissioners and Government Commissioner. And there were also the rumours… the people had heard that something had changed in the Island Council, that the members were engaging together in a new way, with new trust. And so, they gathered in the Town Hall, curious to hear more.
It would certainly be a first. The people of Sint Eustatius were more familiar with political clashes than trust-building. The Dutch overseas territory had a long history of political tension, coming to a head in 2022 when communication between political representatives broke down completely. Since then, the political parties tasked with making collective decisions in the Island Council simply could not work together. All decision making ground to a halt. So, the group gathered at the Sint Eustatius town hall was sceptical. Not expecting any real change, they dismissed the rumours. As the town hall got under way, they asked themselves, “Is this real?”
Presenting the Political Dialogue Platform of Sint Eustatius
One by one, the political representatives took to the stage. They explained that they were finally working together – across party and ideological divides – to find common ground. The catalyst for this change was The Political Dialogue Platform of Sint Eustatius. Facilitated by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), this platform creates a safe space for dialogue among the island’s political representatives. The platform encourages the participants to build trust across the political divide and to discuss sensitive or contentious issues together. Raquel Spanner-Carty, leader of the Democratic Party, explains the change in atmosphere: “You can be less of a politician for a moment and focus on the dialogue and who you have in front of you.”
Working together
According to the speakers, participating in the platform had given them a new openness to working together. The political clashing is still there, but different. As Rechelline Leerdam, leader of the Progressive Labour Party, explains: “I realize now that the opposition has some good points. Now, we can perhaps find a way to go out as a united front. We are facing a lot of different issues on our island, and it does not make sense to be divided on these.”
A promise to the island
Finally, each Island Council member made a promise to the people present and to the people of Sint Eustatius as a whole: We are ready now to put our differences aside. We are ready to work together for the good of our island and its people. For the people watching, it represented a turning point: A new spark of hope in a better future, where their needs would be met through their democracy. At NIMD, we believe that democracy starts with dialogue. In this case, dialogue has truly opened an opportunity for the island to function more democratically with its people’s best interests at heart.
For the political representatives in the Island Council, it’s about a long-term change – they hope one day to pass on the practice of dialogue to the next generation. Throughout the Town Hall, the participants also witnessed a sense of responsibility in ensuring that dialogue continues after them, passing on the torch to the next generation of political representatives. The importance of continuing the dialogue process is to ensure that the trust with the citizens is slowly but surely rebuilt, so they no longer ask, is this real?
NIMD’s work in Sint Eustatius is funded by The Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom relations.