The WolBES has its critics, of course. But anybody wanting to set up a new party and members of small political parties should support the WolBES, for it gives them a new chance. Art. 9 of the WolBES stipulates that the Bonaire Island Council shall consist of 9 members and Saba and Statia’s Council of 5. However, the WolBES gives power to the Island Councils themselves to increase this number to 15 for Bonaire and 9 for Saba and Statia.
Boost for democracy
Now, it is known that the bigger parties don’t want this, for they fear they might eventually lose power if small parties can come in. But in the end this will come to pass anyhow, for smaller groups will demand it in exchange for support. So, it’s not going to be easy (in politics nothing is ever easy!), but in the end this will be a boost for democracy. The two-party system is a guarantee for stale and static politics. A proper Parliament consists of at least three parties, representing three different political ideologies. Only three competing political forces in our 0Island Councils will guarantee dynamism and creative solutions to old problems which are now bogged down in a still ongoing Cold War between Left and Right.
ARCO’s stand on this issue
As of now be it known that ARCO will come out in favor of increasing the number of Island Council members to the legal maximum, thus paving the way for smaller parties, like PRO and Alerta on Bonaire, to come in. The dominance of just two parties is part of the problem.