WILLEMSTAD--While the PAR has started its first attempts to form a new Curaçao Government as the winner of the Island Council elections of last Friday, another -alternative- coalition without the largest party should not be excluded.

One party likely to be part of such a scenario should it materialise is "Pueblo Soberano" (PS), which does not want to work with PAR. There are already rumours of an agreement in the offing between the parties MFK (five seats), PS (four) and MAN (two).

Together, these three parties have a minimal majority of eleven against the ten seats in the new Island Council that is to take office this Saturday. So far, however, all parties concerned have denied there is a question of official negotiations and have left it at "informal contacts that are currently being held between all parties."

The PAR-led negotiations under the direction of Antillean Parliament Chairman Pedro Atacho started Monday. A MFK delegation was the first he talked to, but political leader Gerrit Schotte was not present and board members Jorge Jamaloodin, Amerigo Thodé and Carol Capriles represented the white party.

Schotte indicated later that his party had in any case complied with the call from the largest party to talk about the forming of a new coalition. On the question whether official negotiations had taken place between his party and the PS and the MAN during the past days, he answered in the negative.

MAN was represented at the talks with Atacho by a delegation of three under leadership of party chairman Eugene Cleopa. He too denied there were any informal negotiations and said he had no knowledge of such.

The blue party went to the meeting especially to learn what the PAR's plans were regarding the future government of Country Curaçao.

A FOL-delegation, consisting of party leader Anthony Godett, Almier Godett and Juniël Carolina, met with Atacho in the afternoon. Anthony Godett expressed hope that the parties which acquired seats in the new Island Council would join hands to get the draft Constitution approved.

"We will respect all invitations that we receive. Although we have been contacted by other parties, we will only respond to official invitations."

The PNP was the last party to meet with Atacho. Party chairman Imro van Wilgen and Norman Girigorie said it went to listen to what PAR as the largest party had to say. "As party we only have one seat and nothing to demand in this process, so we will listen and take our position based on the conversation."

PS leader Helmin Wiels had already indicated that he would not participate, as the pro-independence party wants nothing to do with the PAR. "At the last formation, we already pointed out to them that we are not prepared to form a government together with PAR, in view of the bitter experience suffered by the people and this country under the PAR for sixteen years already.

"We have not changed our viewpoint and have repeatedly indicated that under no circumstance will we cooperate with PAR," PS wrote in a letter to Atacho. Wiels underlined once again that he will absolutely not vote for the current draft Constitution when it is put to the vote in the Island Council.

In view of the constitutional change process, the formation must take place within a very short period. The new Island Council members are to be installed this Saturday, September 4, and the current PAR/PNP/FOL Executive Council's intention is to offer the Constitution to the Island Council to put it to a vote again that same day.

On September 5 the delegation of Curaçao is to leave for the Netherlands, because the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will be voting on the commencement date of 10-10-'10 for the amendment of the Kingdom Charter on September 7, while the Final Round Table Conference (RTC) to confirm that the new relations will indeed take effect is on the agenda for September 9.

For this reason, PAR wants to combine the two processes; the forming of a new Island Government and the voting on the Constitution. Therefore, without clarity on which parties will be forming the new government of Curaçao, the Executive Council will not forward the draft Constitution to the Island Council.

It must be clear for the party which government is to represent Curaçao during the final RTC, because on September 4, when the new Island Council starts, the current Executive Council will no longer have majority support in the Island Council.