Prime Minister Rob Jetten complimented the hospital on Bonaire, a day after ending up there due to an allergic reaction during his trip to the Caribbean part of the Netherlands. “Yesterday, I experienced for myself that the hospital on Bonaire functions very well,” he said to NOS. “Thanks to the doctor and nurses there who patched me up very quickly.”

Jetten was hospitalized after being stung by something while swimming in the sea. “I had a very severe allergic reaction. Because of that, I had to be on an IV drip for a few hours with some injections to get back on my feet. But fortunately, once I was out of the hospital, things got better very quickly.”

The incident happened the first time Jetten entered the sea on this trip. “We’ll stick to the land for now,” he said afterward.

The Prime Minister is visiting Curacao on Thursday, the last day of his visit to the Caribbean part of the Netherlands.

This was Jetten’s first trip to the Caribbean part of the Netherlands in his capacity as Prime Minister. Jetten visited all the islands that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao – and met with their Prime Ministers, Governors, parliaments, and island councils. He discussed increasing the islands’ resilience, security, and sustainability.

The visit happened within the first three months of him taking office, something that the Islands seemed to appreciate. Mark Rutte only visited the Caribbean part of the Netherlands three years after first becoming Prime Minister. And the Islands did not get on well with the Schoof I Cabinet, due to the PVV’s participation therein. Years ago, PVV leader Geert Wilders said the Netherlands would be better off selling the islands on Marktplaats, something the people still remember. Jetten

On every island, Jetten also met with residents, entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations, with the goal of getting to know this part of the Kingdom. According to NOS, locals on the islands seemed to appreciate the Prime Minister’s visit, and many see it as a positive sign that the Jetten I Cabinet has plans to battle poverty and help with the consequences of climate change, among other things. But they remain doubtful that the Netherlands will actually do anything to improve their living conditions.

“We, as the Netherlands, really have a responsibility for Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius as special municipalities. We have also allocated extra funds for this,” Jetten told NOS. “But with Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, independent countries within the Kingdom, we are really moving towards a new relationship, much more equal, where we can exchange knowledge and expertise, and really let that originate from the islands themselves.”

He understands the seeing-is-believing attitude among the residents of the islands. “I understand that, and I think it is appropriate too, considering there’s been so many political changes over the past few years, both in the Netherlands and here on the Islands. This trip is a nice, new start for mutual cooperation.”