~ Cabinet will have seven ministers ~

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) will have two ministers with the portfolios of Constitutional Affairs and Telecommunications in the new Central Government cabinet.

However, Thursday's formation talks ended with a question mark about whether PNP of Curaçao will be a partner in the new and last Central Government coalition of the Netherlands Antilles that will take office on March 26 together with the new Parliament.

The six parties expected to form the new government, including PNP, are to sign the "Philipsburg Accord" that outlines a cabinet of seven ministers and four state secretaries, and allotment of portfolios, at Sonesta Great Bay Resort at 9:30am today.

Formation talks led by Formateur Pedro Atacho in Dr. A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall continued Thursday, but PNP representatives could not give a definite answer on the offer of a state secretary until consultations were held with its party leadership yesterday evening. PNP's decision was not known at press time.

Together, the six parties have 14 of the 22 Parliament seats, but should PNP reject the offer of a state secretary in the cabinet, the new coalition government may well have only 13 seats.

A strong coalition with a comfortable majority of seats in Parliament is considered necessary for the continued steady pace of the constitutional reform that will see the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles and the emergence of St. Maarten and Curaçao as countries within the kingdom and the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba as Dutch public entities on 10-10-10.

A two-thirds majority (15 seats/votes) in Parliament is necessary to ratify in the first reading changes to the Kingdom Charter that will put an end to the Antilles and the emergence of the new countries and entities.

Indications from Curaçao before talks resumed yesterday were that PNP, although it lost one of its two seats in the January elections, was still demanding to keep its finance minister post as a bargaining chip for its continued support of the PAR-led coalition at the Curaçao Island Government level.

Should PNP back out of the new Central Government coalition, PAR is most likely to turn to Nelson Pierre's LNPA, which, like PNP, has one seat in Parliament and two in the Island Council, to become the sixth coalition member.

Ministers and Portfolios

Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage said after the January polls that emphasis would be on making the new cabinet as small as possible, because the new government's main task was dismantling and paving the way for the new entities and countries.

However, this was not to be, despite the persistence of PAR, so the cabinet will retain the seven ministerial posts and four state secretaries, with most of the current ministers slated to keep their jobs to help with continuity.

PAR will retain the post of prime minister tasked with general affairs. The party will also keep three ministerial posts with responsibility for Justice, Education and Public Health, and Finance. PNP currently holds the post of Finance in the cabinet. PAR also keeps the post of Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague, as well as chairman of parliament.

NA of St. Maarten, which won all three seats allotted to St. Maarten in the January 22 Parliamentary elections, will have a second minister in the cabinet, taking up the portfolio of Transport and Telecommunication that will be vacated by FOL of Curaçao, which lost its two seats in last month's election. NA also retains the Minister of Constitutional Affairs post held by Roland Duncan.

Duncan is expected to continue in his post in the cabinet. Well-placed sources say he will be joined by current State Secretary for Public Health Patrick Illidge as Minister of Transport and Communication. Illidge's career prior to politics was in telecommunications.

NA, as the second largest coalition partner, will also hold the post of Deputy Prime Minister. This additional task is expected to be held by Duncan, the more senior of the two incoming ministers.

Mavis Brooks-Salmon (NA) is also tipped to stay on in the Netherlands, as her party will continue to hold the post of Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague.

UPB of Bonaire will appoint the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and a state secretary.

Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM) of Saba and Democratic Party (DP) of St. Eustatius will retain their state secretaries in the new cabinet.

Philipsburg Accord

Formateur Pedro Atacho told the press Thursday's talks had been "very successful," with agreements on the portfolios and ministers, but steered clear of giving details.

Due to this success, he is now in a position to present his report on this leg of the formation process to Governor of the Netherlands Antilles Frits Goedgedrag a week early. Atacho was scheduled to present his report on March 6, but will now do so on Sunday, February 27.

Once the report is presented, the governor can instruct him to wrap up the formation by vetting the ministerial candidates to ensure their personal interests (businesses, etc.) do not conflict with their portfolio responsibilities. The candidates will also have to be screened by the Justice system.