Council approves the concepts of the consensus-statute laws

February 12, 2009 3:58 AM

The Island Council has approved the concepts consensus-statute laws Financial Supervision and Police Curaçao, St. Maarten, and Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba in a debate that lasted for hours and gives a look ahead at the coming campaign on the way to the referendum to be held on the political future of Curacao.

The meeting lasted till 13:30, before the debate on the consensus-statute laws could start. The reason for this long meeting was the parting of Gisette Seferina (PNP), the swearing in of her successor, commissioner Humphrey Davelaar (Public Health, PNP), and a very long discussion about several issues. As could be expected, the motions of the coalition passed, while those of the opposition didn’t.

The consideration of both motions proves again the stalemate in the current politics. The opposition parties said that the BC and the coalition were only aiming at selling the autonomy of the island. The coalition responded by saying that the opposition parties are want to sell the autonomy of the island to Venezuela. The coalition also said that Curacao couldn’t continue with the current financial problems and that The Netherlands cannot be asked not to set conditions for the debt restructuring.
The opposition on her turn said that the debt restructuring should have never been connected to the political development and the coalition’s respond on that was that all the parties in the start Round Table Conference of 2005 agreed that Curacao must get a clean start position with her autonomous status.

The referendum also played an important part during the meeting. Representatives of both the opposition and coalition pointed out that their option would win in the referendum. But the opposition was enraged about the fact that the BC had decided that two concept-statute laws that are applicable to the autonomous Curacao, had to be considered now, while there is a referendum pending. This is a lack of respect, said the opposition parties. The coalition was of the opinion though that these concepts were the result of negotiations and that the opposition wanted to stand in the way of the development of the Land Curacao.
It finally came down to voting. Both motions passed with 11 votes in favour and 9 against. Norbert George (DP) was not present at the voting.

(Source: National newspaper Amigoe)

11 February, 2009