KRALENDIJK- According to a jointly issued statement, the Union Patriótiko Boneriano (UPB) and the Movementu di Pueblo Boneriano (MPB) have jointly concluded that Bonairean society benefits most from stability and continuity.

The parties therefore say that they have decided to hold substantive discussions in the coming days about continuing the current coalition. “That certainly does not mean that the parties will continue as before. Based on the above, the negotiations to reach a new coalition agreement will now start,” said the parties.

According to the letter, last week both parties made a thorough, critical analysis of the policy pursued in the past administrative period, in order to map out where the approach has been successful, but also to clarify which points for improvement need to be worked on. . Bottlenecks are also said to have been identified which, in particular, had an inhibiting effect on implementation.

“When the coalition took office in 2019, the first priority was stability. Since 2010 there have been many board changes that have had a negative effect on the confidence of local partners such as employers’ organizations and trade unions, but also of ‘The Hague’. The improved administrative relations with ministries have contributed to concrete measures to combat poverty and promote equal treatment,” the parties said.

UPB and MPB also say that they have no intention of sitting back satisfied. “On the contrary, although there is a prospect of the introduction of a social minimum, it is important to continue to emphasize the urgency of this to the ministries involved. The same applies to the amendment of laws and regulations that have survived from the time of the Netherlands Antilles. By modernizing it, a lot of bureaucracy can be removed that hinders decisive management and executive power”.

Similar ideology

Both parties and current coalition partners also say that they have found that there are no major ideological differences between them. “Both prioritize increasing the well-being of the population, sound governance, social housing, improving infrastructure, protecting nature and preserving the authenticity of Bonaire. To work on this successfully, stable governance is of great importance, also with a view to the willingness of ministries to invest in Bonaire.”

According to the statement, signed by Hennyson Thielman and James Kroon, the intended continuation of the current coalition does justice to the results of the elections. “While governing coalitions usually suffer losses, the UPB/MPB coalition has retained its 5 seats. In the coming days, the parties will work out their vision and spearheads for the coming administrative period, with the expectation that a draft agreement can be presented before the end of next week. UPB and MPB have agreed to establish a final governance program after receiving community input.”