The right thing
If indications that the FOL party will form a coalition with PAR and PNP prove correct, it could be a blessing not just for Curaçao, but for the other islands as well. FOL leader Anthony Godett was still in jail when his party’s faction in the Island Council voted against the Final Statement, and he indicated then that he did not have such a big problem with the agreement signed with the Netherlands, the Central Government and St. Maarten.
He is now suggesting that the best parts of the Final Statement and the alternative of the committee chaired by Caryl Monte be combined. Experts point out that honouring the Final Statement does not mean certain of Monte’s proposals cannot also be executed.
For especially St. Maarten, the developments in Curaçao are important, because if a majority can be formed there to back the Final Statement, it will facilitate talks about possibly sharing certain entities like the Central Bank, the pension fund APNA and the Social Insurance Bank SVB, as well as about the division of assets and liabilities.
It is true that both the Netherlands and the Antillean Government have ensured that Curaçao’s position will not hamper the process for St. Maarten to become an autonomous country in the Kingdom as laid down in the Final Statement and Transition Accord, but the reality is that having Curaçao on board probably will make things less difficult.
It would probably be best for FOL as well. The party lost no less than six of its eight seats in the Island Council and Godett’s personal votes went down from 19,462 in 2003 to 6,514 last year to 3,772 last Friday.
Some analysts believe that a lot of the votes FOL lost over the years went to its current coalition parties MAN and NPA. They believe FOL would be much better off working with less-leftist parties such as PAR and PNP, because that could make FOL the “social face” of such a coalition and allow it to regain some ground among the lower income groups, its traditional support base.
In any case, the prospect of a five-party coalition of MAN, FOL, NPA, Pueblo Soberano and Forsa Kòrsou with a minimal majority of 11 in the 21-seat Island Council is not exactly attractive. A PAR/PNP/FOL coalition, especially if DP can be brought in to make it 12 seats, would appear a more workable alternative, while it would also allow FOL to enter the Central Government.
The FOL leader has made mistakes in the past and paid dearly for them. He now has the opportunity to do the right thing at a crucial time, in the interest of the people of not just Curaçao, but the entire Netherlands Antilles.
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