Person of the Year:
Minister Atzo Nicolaï
PHILIPSBURG--It is safe to say that without his support and determination to come to an agreement, the attainment of country status for St. Maarten as well as for Curaçao, and direct ties with the Netherlands for the three “smaller” islands Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius would not have been so tantalisingly close.
True, Dutch Minister of Administrative Reform and Kingdom Relations Atzo Nicolaï is not a “local” person. But The Daily Herald nonetheless decided to name him Person of the Year because of the great influence the political accord he championed is having and will have on the daily lives of the people on the islands, all islands.
Nicolaï decided that not only the “bigger” islands Curaçao and St. Maarten were important to do business with, but also the “smaller” islands whose interests didn’t weigh heavily in the scale when it came down to working on new constitutional relations within the Dutch Kingdom.
He signed a separate accord with Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius, also referred to in the political corridors as the K3 (K standing for “klein” in Dutch), on October 11. The accord with Curaçao and St. Maarten was signed on November 2.
Because these political accords between the islands and the Netherlands could not have been realised without the negotiating skills of and perseverance by the individual delegations, much credit also goes to them: the St. Maarten delegation headed by Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams, the team from Saba led by Commissioner Will Johnson and the group from St. Eustatius under the guidance of Commissioner Roy Hooker. There were also the delegations from Bonaire, Curaçao and the Central Government.
From day one – July 7, 2006 – when he took over from Alexander Pechtold, Nicolaï was determined to pick up where his predecessor had left off and even to accelerate the process. He immediately made it clear he wanted to come to an agreement with the islands and he intended to do this quickly.
“This Minister is open for business,” he told the media on several occasions. This stance was in stark contrast to the opinion of past Dutch State Secretary Gijs de Vries, who plainly said no to separate status. Klaas de Vries, when he was Minister, was also not too enthusiastic about the idea of splitting up the islands.
On his first visit to the islands mid-August Nicolaï stressed that he wished to have a political agreement by October – in about two months. And he kept his word. He wasted no time and he met with delegations from the three “smaller” islands in The Hague in late September to discuss direct ties with the Netherlands. Parties agreed to meet the following week in Bonaire. Thereafter there was a lot of momentum.
Things started happening very fast. The three islands and the Dutch sat down in Kralendijk on October 2, 3 and 4 to iron out the rough edges in anticipation of the signing in The Hague on October 11. The photo with all the happy faces when the document was signed at the venue of the talks (Het Spaansche Hof) spoke volumes.
Moving along
Having done business with the K3, the Minister wanted to get together with the “bigger” islands right away. For the third time in two months, Nicolaï travelled to the Netherlands Antilles in late October for talks with Curaçao and St. Maarten. A week after, the parties met in The Hague and after three days of (pre)negotiations, lo and behold, another agreement was signed in the same Het Spaansche Hof.
Again photographers were able to capture big smiles, handshakes and even hugs. Historic phrases like “the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles is finally happening,” “long live Curaçao” and “St. Maarten will become a country” were spoken.
Some Curaçao politicians made an about-face later on and the Island Council of the biggest island rejected the accord (“slotverklaring”). St. Maarten’s Island Council ratified the accord and so did Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. Determined to continue with the islands that had approved “his” agreement, Minister Nicolaï is coming to St. Maarten and Saba mid-January for talks.
Praise
Political leaders had much praise for Nicolaï and in their speeches and interviews with the media all thanked him extensively for finally making it happen.
Commissioner Wescot-Williams and her Curaçao colleague Zita Jesus-Leito commended Nicolaï for his zeal and said that never before had a Dutch Minister taken on the job of constitutional reform with so much enthusiasm, also sticking to promises.
Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage extensively thanked Nicolaï for believing in new constitutional relations.
Saba’s Commissioner Johnson even went as far as to say after the October 11 signing that if it weren’t for Nicolaï, there would have been no agreement. “With a Pechtold or a De Graaf we would not have been successful,” he said.
Statia’s Commissioner Hooker said at the time: “The Minister did a good job. I have to give him that.”
Bonaire’s Commissioner Reginald Dortalina made similar remarks.
People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) leader Councilwoman Gracita Arrindell said in late October that the Minister had a pleasant demeanour and that his open personality had helped considerably in a meeting he had with St. Maarten’s Permanent Committee for Constitutional Affairs (PCCA).
Nicolaï himself during the signing ceremonies showed deep respect for the islands and their choice for cooperation in the Kingdom. Insiders claimed that part of the victory could be attributed to the Minister’s ability to negotiate while showing respect for all involved, seeking alternatives during difficult moments.
Atzo Nicolaï was born in Delft, the Netherlands, February 22, 1960. He studied law and political administration in Amsterdam. He worked at the Ministry of Wellbeing, Public Health and Culture and later held positions such as Secretary of the Council of Arts, Secretary of the Council of Culture. Before being appointed State Secretary of European Affairs in 2002, Nicolaï was a member of the Second Chamber of Dutch Parliament for the VVD party.
He is married and has three children. In his free time, he likes to attend cultural events. He is an avid bird watcher and during his first visit to Saba our Person of the Year made sure he went on a hike to catch a glimpse of the local birds.
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