Ben Whiteman
Ben Whiteman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 5th Prime Minister of Curaçao | |
| Assumed office 1 September 2015 | |
| Monarch | Willem-Alexander |
| Governor | Lucille George-Wout |
| Preceded by | Ivar Asjes[1] |
| Succeeded by | Hensley Koeiman (Designate) |
| Minister of Public Health, Environment and Nature | |
| Assumed office 31 December 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Stanley Bodok |
| Leader of Pueblo Soberano (pro tempore) | |
| Assumed office 31 August 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ivar Asjes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bernard Denzil Whiteman 20 August 1954[2] |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Political party | Sovereign People |
Bernard "Ben" Denzil Whiteman[3] (born 20 August 1954) is the Prime Minister of Curaçao, succeeding Ivar Asjes. Asjes resigned after he lost confidence of his own party. Whiteman was sworn in as Prime Minister on 1 September 2015.[1][4] He is also the Minister of Public Health, Environment and Nature since 31 December 2012 in the Asjes-Cabinet and the Hodge-Cabinet before taking the post, retaining the position after becoming prime minister.[3]
Prime Minister
Whiteman took on the post of Prime Minister with an intent to stay in office for three months, to give his party the opportunity to search for a successor.[5] On 29 October 2015, it was announced Whiteman would stay on until the 2016 elections.[6] The Whiteman Cabinet resigned on 9 November 2015 after losing the parliamentary majority when Marilyn Moses withdrew her support.[7] One week later Whiteman announced to have formed a new coalition, with the entry of the Party for the Restructured Antilles (PAR) to the coalition. The PAR held two seats in the Estates and was allowed to deliver the new Minister for Economy.[8] The new cabinet entered in function on 30 November 2015.[9]
In February 2016 Whiteman revealed that in 2014 he was nearly assassinated while sitting on his balcony.[10]
A fourth report on the functioning of the Curaçaohuis, the office of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao, Marvelyne Wiels, was highly critical. The report, and the fact that it had not been shared yet with the Estates of Curaçao, led to coalition parties in the Second Whiteman cabinet voicing severe critique in July 2016. Alex Rosaria, leader of the Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal, called it "a dark cloud over the Whiteman cabinet". The leader of the PAR, Zita Jesus-Leito, asked for the voluntary resignation or Wiels or else her dismissal by Whiteman.[11][12][13]
Second Whiteman cabinet
| Ministry | Minister | Period | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Ben Whiteman | 30 November 2015 | Sovereign People |
| Minister for Education, Science, Culture and Sport | Irene Dick | 30 November 2015 | Sovereign People |
| Minister for Social Development, Work and Welfare | Ruthmilda Larmonie-Cecilia | 30 November 2015 | Sovereign People |
| Minister for Justice | Nelson Navarro | 30 November 2015 | Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal |
| Minister for Governance, Planning and Service | Etienne van der Horst | 30 November 2015 | Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal |
| Minister for Finance | José Jardim | 30 November 2015 | Independent, representative for Glenn Sulvaran |
| Minister for Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning | Suzanne Camelia-Römer | 30 November 2015 | National People's Party |
| Minister for Economic Development | Eugene Rhuggenaath | 30 November 2015 | Party for the Restructured Antilles |
| Minister for Health, Environment and Nature | Siegfried Victorina | 30 November 2015 | Sovereign People |
Source:[14]
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References
- ^ a b "Whiteman new prime minister". The Daily Herald. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Wie is……………". Knipselkrant Curacao. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Dr. Bernard Whiteman New Prime Minister Of Curaçao". Curaçao Chronicle. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Curacao-prime-minister-resigns-27442.html
- ^ Joost Pijpker (1 September 2015). "Premier Curaçao stapt op na botsingen met eigen partij" (in Dutch). NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ "Whiteman premier tot aan Verkiezingen" (in Dutch). Dolfijn FM. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ^ "Regering Curaçao dient ontslag in" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ "Curaçao heeft een nieuwe coalitie" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ Joost Pijpker (1 December 2015). "Nieuwe regering Whiteman beëdigd op Curaçao" (in Dutch). NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ^ "Premier Curaçao: 'Drugsbende pleegde aanslag op mij'" (in Dutch). de Telegraaf. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Ongekend wanbeheer onder Wiels" (in Dutch). Antilliaans Dagblad. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Rapport splijt coalitie" (in Dutch). Antilliaans Dagblad. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Regering Curaçao wankelt door rapport over Marvelyne Wiels" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Kabinet Whiteman II beëdigd" (in Dutch). Antilliaans Dagblad. Retrieved 21 December 2015.