Kralendijk- A long lasting conflict in the Democratic Party Bonaire seems to be coming to an end now that party leadership have decided to expel both Robbie Beukenboom and Miruga Janga from the party.

The source of the conflict is mostly the tension between Party Leader Clark Abraham on the one side and Janga and Beukenboom on the other side. Last year Janga and Beukenboom decided to support the current Executive Council formed by elements of the UPB-party, independent fractions Bernabela and Raphaela and they themselves as dissident members of the Democratic Party. This lead to a very strange situation that part of the DP fraction supported the governing coalition, while another part(formed by Abraham and the party leadership) formed part of the opposition against the same coalition.

Beukenboom and Janga did all in their power to discredit party leader Abraham as much as possible; especially when the latter had a very rough period in his private life and a subsequent divorce from his estranged wife. Beukenboom and Janga said that the party ‘had left all norms to the side in condoning Abraham’s behavior and actions’.

Yesterday, the board of the PDB decided that enough was enough and expelled both Beukenboom and Janga from the PDB party ranks. A letter confirming the position taken by party leadership was sent out this morning.

Beukenboom and Janga, according to information received by The BES-Reporter would be planning to continue serving as island council members on behalf of a new fraction/party formed by the two, called Frente Soshal Progresivo, or Social-Progressive Front. The move by the PDB leadership does not have any immediate consequences for the governing coalition, which is expected to continue ‘as is’.

The PDB in the meantime will continue with just 1 seat in the island council, but at least has closed ranks again, now that Beukenboom and Janga are no longer a factor within the party.