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2/2/2010  The Bonaire Referendum set for March 26, as defined by the Island Council last week has been blocked by the Island's Lt. Governor, Glenn Thode.  The Lt. Governor, the former dean of the Aruba Law School,  felt that UN recommendations on sufferage and consesus were not observed sufficiently. A Governor's override of an Island Council is rare, but not unheard of.  The Governor' rationale was, "The Referendum Ordinanace (as is defined) is contrary to the common interest of the Kingdom and at the expense of the interests of Bonaire in particular. "
Whether the Referendum rules will stand as adopted by the Island Council is now up to the Governor of the Antilles to decide.  He has 30 days to respond, with another 30 days of extension possible.

2/1/2010 New edition of The Reporter on Line

2/1/2010 Referendum question and date defined

Details of the upcoming Bonaire Referendum on March 26, 2010
to better define the form of the relationship of Bonaire with the Netherlands
were released last week.
The form of the referendum question ( to be presented only in Papiamentu and Dutch) is:
“I want Bonaire to have a direct relationship
with The Netherlands in the form of
A: Association (Bonaire will acquire its own
position within the Kingdom of the Netherlands),
or
B: Integration (Bonaire will become a part
of the Netherlands).

1/23/2010  Parliamentary Election Results-

Bonaire’s parliamentary elections were a repeat of past history as the Union Patriotiko Boneriano (UPB-green) led by Ramonsito Booi captured two of the island’s three seats.  The Democratic Party (PDB-red) led by Jopie Abraham won the other seat, while the Lista di Kambio (LdK-blue) led by Anthony Nicolaas (ex-UPB)  did not garner sufficient votes for a seat.  

Some analysts see the election result as a victory for the UPB-led process for integration with Holland, now in abeyance pending a new, yet undefined Referendum.  

Others viewed the 51% of the votors who chose red or blue was an indication that a slim majority of Bonaire voters want to refine their choice for government with another Referendum.

UPB ended up with 3,673 votes, PDB with 2,720 votes and LdK with 1,126 votes.  There were 9,519 eligible voters in Bonaire according to the Island Registry, which meant 79% of the voter turned out.

In Curacao, the balance of power in the Antilles Central Government was maintained as the current coalition which supports continuing Curacao and St. Maarten's course to become seperate Dutch Kingdom Countries in October 2010 was voted back in.

1/19/2010 A new edition of The Reporter is on Line

1/17/2010 Campaigning for the Antillean Parliamentary elections set for January 22 is in high gear. Bonaire voters will make a single choice for the parties who will take one, two or all of the three seats allocated to Bonaire. If present plans hold, the Parliament will sit only until October 10, 2010, when the Antilles will be dissolved and reformed as the BES Islands, an integral part of The Netherlands, and the kingdom countries of Curaçao and St. Maarten.
 

1/15/2010 The new tax system for the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (assuming, of course, that Bonaire will be included) will go into effect on January 1, 2011, and not on the scheduled transition date of October 10, 2010. According to the Dutch Government, it is “undesirable” to implement the new system on the transition date because changing a system within a fiscal year would result in a “considerable administrative burden” for the private sector.

The new arrangement should yield US $41.72 million annually, an amount that is based on the current revenues of federal taxes collected on the three islands. There will be a transition period of five years for persons making use of the so-called penshonado arrangement, a fiscal arrangement for pensioners living in the Netherlands Antilles. The US dollar will become the island’s currency on 1/1/11.

1/14/2010 At the 2010 Caribbean Marketplace, Travel Agent magazine sat down with Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, director of the Tourism Corporation Bonaire, and learned of Bonaire’s plans to open its first US brand hotel by 2012 and possibly add new, direct air service from Miami by the end of this year.

The hotel will be a 120-room Hilton, which will be a part of a major, multiple-phase condominium project.

Bonaire is in serious discussions with American Airlines. The flight would be important for Bonaire since it lost American Eagle connections in 2008.

1/13/2010 We cry for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The natural disaster of immense proportions currently unfolding there is staggering. Once again the people of the first independent nation in Latin America are in dire need of assistance to simply save their lives. People around the world are sending aid. You will discover how you can help in the pages of the current edition of The Reporter. Please do what you can.

    1/5/2010 New Reporter Edition On Line