Saba’s island Governor Johnson: ‘Together with other islands, we get more done’

HARLINGEN – The recent signing of the E8 letter of intent — uniting five Wadden Islands and the three Caribbean special municipalities — marks a new phase in inter-island cooperation. For Saba’s Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, the initiative is a strategic move toward strengthening small island communities within the Kingdom. In Harlingen, ahead of a BZK meeting on Vlieland, he shared his perspective on the new alliance.

“The distance to The Hague is not just physical — we feel it administratively as well,” said Johnson. “That’s why it’s so important that we collaborate with other islands that understand our challenges.”

According to Johnson, Saba shares many of the same issues as the Wadden Islands: aging populations, brain drain, and limited accessibility. “But for us, the conditions are often more severe. We have just one ferry, one airline, and a 12-minute flight costs $300. That’s not sustainable.”

With the letter of intent, Johnson hopes the islands can collectively exert more political influence in The Hague. “We don’t have a provincial layer of government advocating on our behalf. This alliance can help bridge that gap.”

What stood out during the stop in Harlingen was the striking alignment between Johnson and Alida Francis of St. Eustatius. Both voiced strong concern about the lack of tailored policy from the Netherlands and emphasized the need for differentiation. “We’re often treated as a single BES entity, while our realities are very different,” Johnson said. “That shared vision strengthens this cooperation even more.”

The collaboration isn’t just political. At the recent VNG Congress, practical agreements were made for knowledge exchange between the islands and Dutch municipalities. “Saba is now receiving experts from the Netherlands in areas like waste management and crisis response,” Johnson explained. “And we’re sending our own people there to learn. It works — small steps that lead to big change.”

For Johnson, the E8 marks a turning point. “We’ve always had to stand alone. Now we stand together. And that gives us confidence for the future.”