Information assignment

January 29, 2010 5:43 AM

The Governor of the Netherlands Antilles, Mr Frits Goedgedrag, held talks this week on the formation of a new government with the deputy chairperson of the Advisory Council, the President of Parliament and the leaders of the political parties that won one or more seats in the newly elected Parliament.

On the basis of the advice he received, the Governor had a meeting this morning with Mr Pedro Atacho and asked Mr Atacho to investigate the posib ility of a new government being formed that will be able to work productively with the Parliament. To guide his work as informateur [politician who investigates on behalf of the Governor, whether a cabinet formation will succeed] , Mr Atacho was given the following mandate:

During the political consultations held on 30 September 2009 between the government of the Netherlands Antilles, the executives of its various island territories and the government of the Netherlands it was decided that the new constitutional status of the islands will take effect on 10 October 2010. Assuming that this decision will be adhered to, the government of the Netherlands Antilles now to be formed will be the last government of the Netherlands Antilles as a political entity. It will need sufficient political support to carry out the agreed constitutional reforms in the coming months.

In the light of the agreements referred to above, and the fact that the Netherlands Antilles is ceasing to exist as an entity, the new government’s priority will be to dismantle the country and transfer tasks and powers to the entities that will replace it. Of course, the government will also have to continue, as long as it is in office, to discharge its responsibilities to the people of the Netherlands Antilles. The focus during the Netherlands Antilles’ last year should be on attending to matters that must be taken care of before it ceases to exist, in the interests both of its citizens and of the new entities. Adoption of new policies in the interim period is not foreseen, unless this would be unavoidable and required in the public interest.

This is why the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles has asked Mr Atacho to explore as quickly as possible the options created by the outcome of the recent elections for the formation of a government that will be able to work productively with the Parliament and, if possible, enjoy popular support on all the islands. If Mr Atacho finds that such options exist, he should as quickly as possible draft a limited coalition agreement; an agreement of termination (beëindigingsakkoord; akuerdo di terminashon). He should then investigate the possibility of a government being formed (portfolio division in the new Cabinet) that is willing and able to commit itself to implementing this limited programme, including measures for the period to 10 October 2010. The programme of termination should include detailed policies in the following priority areas:

• guiding the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles as a state and the construction of the new governmental entities, in close consultation with the island territories and the other partners in the Kingdom. This process should respect the framework and agreements that have either already been adopted or that will be adopted in the course of the process;
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• completing the projects that must be carried out in the interests of the new entities and their peoples before the Netherlands Antilles ceases to exist as a state, partly in the framework and in the interests of the constitutional changes;
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• continuing to safeguard the well-being of the people of the Netherlands Antilles until it ceases to exist as a state.

Mr Atacho has accepted his mandate as informateur.

The Governor has asked Mr Atacho to present an interim progress report no later than 12 February 2010. The Governor will expect Mr Atacho’s final report no later than 3 March 2010.

Willemstad, 29 January 2010