KRALENDIJK – The Executive Council of Bonaire was sent home in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday when it became clear that the Governing Coalition could no longer rely on a majority in the Island Council.

A vote of no confidence, filed by council member Clark Abraham of the Democratic Party, received support from council member Cyril Vrolijk of the Movementu di Pueblo Boneriano (MPB). After supporting the motion, Vrolijk declared himself independent of the MPB, which altered the dynamics within the Island Council. The Union Patriotiko Bonaire (UPB) retained its 3 seats, but the MPB now has only 1. The blue party had already reduced from 3 seats to 2 after the elections.
The rest of the Council is composed of the Democratic Party with 3 seats, M21 by Daisy Coffie with 1 seat, and, since last night, Vrolijk’s one-person faction.

Pressure

In the very long meeting, which began at 4 in the afternoon and ended after midnight, there was immense pressure on the Executive Council and the Commissioners. They faced questions on a wide range of subjects, from BONLAB to the way the Public Entity deals with temporary workers. The fact that there seemed to be no concrete answers to a vast array of questions from the Island Council had been causing irritation all evening.

Moreover, the number of questions and interruptions from the Island Council was so significant that the Commissioners hardly had a chance to respond to the questions.