WILLEMSTAD--Confusion reigned in Willemstad on Friday over the formation of a new Curaçao Government by Movementu Futuro Kòrsou (MFK), Pueblo Soberano (PS), and MAN.

PS leader Helmin Wiels on his radio programme broadcast from neighbouring Bonaire suddenly accused MKF leader Gerrit Schotte of wanting to get into government to pay back the capitalists that had financed his costly campaign, something PS wants no part of.

Wiels said his party was not into "sharing stuff" and indicated that the Curaçao Island Council delegation, which will attend the Round Table Conference (RTC) in the Netherlands next week to confirm that new constitutional relations within the Dutch Kingdom are to take effect on 10-10-10, should reject everything on the table, as these agreements were exactly what the politicians involved in the current formation process had fought the outgoing PAR/PNP/FOL coalition on while in the opposition for three years.

The pro-independence PS (four seats) subsequently did not show up for a meeting on appointing an Executive Council for the transitional period until Curaçao acquires the status of country within the Kingdom. In the future, this Executive Council is to become the Council of Ministers of the new country Curaçao.

The negotiations were intended as a follow-up to the declaration of intent which the three parties signed, indicating their wish to work on a new government. Wiels now says his party will still support the new government, but would not appoint any commissioner or future ministers.

PS had sent a letter to MFK (five seats) and MAN (two seats) seeking clarity as to what direction they wanted to take the island. Wiels mentioned the recent publication in the Netherlands of the Kingdom consensus laws related to the constitutional reform process and said agreeing to what is now on the table would make the changes irreversible and amounts to political suicide for the parties involved.

Schotte reacted by saying PS should have stated its concerns and intentions from the beginning.

"We have now asked them if they are really ready to carry responsibility. We decided not to hamper the birth of country Curaçao because we want governance at the Antillean level to end. We signed an agreement giving all three parties the possibility to take their own position in this matter without it endangering the principles in the declaration of intent."

MFK members have now reportedly approached PAR again about forming a government with the largest party (eight seats) after all. PAR does not have much choice, as both PS and MAN have stated they refuse to work with the yellow party, while FOL and PNP with one seat each alone are not enough to provide a majority in the 21-seat council.

Although the administrative organisation of the future country Curaçao will have nine ministries, the new Executive Council will consist of a maximum of seven commissioners. This is because the Islands Regulation Netherlands Antilles ERNA for Curaçao has not been adjusted yet.

The Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles in March agreed to an amendment of the ERNA submitted by Minister of Constitutional Affairs Roland Duncan. The changes include that commissioners can no longer be council members.

The changes further implied that for the Island Territory St. Maarten, the Island Council will be expanded from eleven to fifteen members, while the Executive Council (and future Government of country St. Maarten) can consist of a maximum of seven commissioners, compared to the current maximum of five.

These adjustments were made because, according to the administrative organisation of future country St. Maarten, its Parliament will have fifteen members and there will be seven ministries. The switch from Island Territory to country will be simplified by equating the situation of the Island Territory to the future situation when the new countries come into existence.

However, in the ERNA, Curaçao falls under another article than St. Maarten and increasing the maximum number of commissioners is an affair of the Island Territory itself and not of the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles as is the case for St. Maarten.

What happened is that the current outgoing Island Council did not make the law change for the expansion of the number of commissioners.

"This regards quite a lot of issues which we have to consider simultaneously and this even has to take place within two days. I therefore ask that we be given the room to negotiate in peace," MFK chairman Amerigo Thodé said before Wiels's outburst.

Thodé at the time did not want to elaborate on the possible division of commissioners and future minister posts between the three parties. The most logical division - should Wiels change his mind again - for country Curaçao would appear that MFK provides four ministers, PS three, and MAN two.

When it comes to the transitional Executive Council, sources had hinted that the three parties could each appoint only one commissioner while negotiations continue on the division of the minister posts for future country Curaçao. What will happen, should PS stick to its position of not appointing anyone to the executive branch of the government remains to be seen.