KRALENDIJK – The future of the governing coalition on Bonaire has become uncertain after Island Council member Salma Serberie stepped out of the parliamentary group of the Partido Demokratiko Boneriano (PDB). Serberie submitted her resignation from the faction on Tuesday while retaining her seat in the Island Council, leaving open the question of whether she will continue to support the Executive Council.
In a letter addressed to the Lieutenant Governor and Chair of the Island Council, John Soliano, Serberie wrote that she had decided “no longer to associate myself with the PDB faction.” She cited disagreements with recent decision-making and the political direction taken within the faction, stating that these no longer align with her convictions, values, and the way she wishes to fulfill her role as an elected representative.
Serberie did not specify which decisions prompted her departure, nor did she indicate whether she intends to join the opposition. In her letter, she emphasized that she is consciously retaining her seat out of commitment to her voters and expressed hope that PDB will engage in “serious self-reflection and reorientation.” She added that she continues to care deeply about the party and hopes it will return to its core values of serving the people of Bonaire with justice, transparency, responsibility, and respect.
The current coalition consists of PDB and two independent council members, Coffie and Vrolijk, both former members of the MPB. Together, they held a slim majority of five out of nine seats. Serberie’s departure from the PDB faction does not automatically bring down the Executive Council, as political dynamics remain fluid. Notably, one member of the opposition UPB faction has recently appeared more aligned with the coalition’s policy direction than with that of his own party.
Political tensions are not limited to Bonaire. On Sint Eustatius, Island Council member Clyde van Putten has voiced strong criticism of his own commissioners, although he has not yet formally withdrawn his support from the local government.
Developments on both islands underscore a period of political instability within the Caribbean Netherlands, with coalition majorities increasingly dependent on shifting alliances and individual council members’ positions.