Historical moment on Sint Eustatius and Saba

Historical moment on Sint Eustatius and Saba. Longstanding undivided estates have caused many problems for families on the islands. This week the Joint Court of Justice dealt with the first cases in a special approach that was initiated by the Public Entities along with Alexandra van Huffelen , in her role as state secretary of BZK.

Having lived in the European part of the Netherlands, I have taken for granted how well organized and recorded land rights are at the land registry of the Kadaster Netherlands. When you want to purchase a home, or do something with land or property that belongs to your family, in the Netherlands, this will be regulated fairly easy via a notary or a real estate agent.

Because on the islands, much of the land ownership papers are not registered properly and because access to service providers has not always been consistent to the most remote islands, and because many generations of Sabans and Statians have moved away, or even passed away, and cannot be found, the islands are left with many undivided estates. Sometimes these are relatively small parcels of land with an old family home on them, and some are undeveloped larger tracts of land. The consequences are quite harsh. The family members that are left on the island cannot legally do anything with the property in question leaving everyone stuck and frustrated.

The first cases were dealt with on Sint Eustatius on Monday May 27th and on Saba on Wednesday May 29th. The impact on the families and on my clients was incredible and very visible. It truly confirms to me how important land ownership and proper acknowledgement thereof is for people and for their heritage.