ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius – In light of the recent revelation implicating Dutch State Secretary Raymond Knops in a questionable land
deal; leader of the Progressive Labor Party Clyde Van Putten on Monday called the revelation disgusting
and grossly unethical.
Van Putten said that based on extensive research carried out by two daily Dutch newspapers namely the NRC and Limburger they clearly suggested that now State secretary Knops who at the time was a member of Dutch Parliament would have benefitted from a property transaction involving the construction of his house in Hegelsom, Limburg. The report further stated that Knops would have benefitted several thousands of Euros.
The PLP leader said that he was shocked and taken back considering that that same Knops and other senior Dutch politicians are constantly pointing fingers and accusing politicians here in the Dutch Caribbean of corruption and nepotism and it is now brought to light that he is engaged in these types of unethical practices. You can’t pretend to be screeching clean and always want to be accusing others of corruption without the relevant evidence, yet on a constant basis we see politicians and other high office holders in the Netherlands are constantly exposed with this type of improper conduct.
Van Putten calls this action on the part of State secretary Knops a blatant conflict of interest and further stated that it is tantamount to downright corruption. State secretary Knops was behaving like a parent who chastised his child by telling him “do as I say but not as I do.”
Van Putten is calling on the Dutch Parliament to execute its oversight responsibility by taking a firm stand in this corrupt practice. Van Putten concluded by saying that in light of the above mentioned State secretary Raymond Knops should do the honorable thing and resign. This type of behavior should never be accepted by any political office holders neither in the European nor Caribbean parts of the Netherlands.
