Ben Whiteman#Second Whiteman cabinet

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = His Excellency

| alt =

| image = Ben Whiteman.png

| office = 5th Prime Minister of Curaçao

| monarch = Willem-Alexander

| governor = Lucille George-Wout

| term_start = 1 September 2015

| term_end = 23 December 2016

| predecessor = Ivar Asjes

| successor = Hensley Koeiman

| office2 = Minister of Public Health, Environment and Nature

| term_start2 = 31 December 2012

| term_end2 = 23 December 2016

| primeminister2 = Daniel Hodge, Ivar Asjes, himself

| predecessor2 = Stanley Bodok

| successor2 = Zita Jesus-Leito

| office3 = Leader of Pueblo Soberano (pro tempore)

| term_start3 = 31 August 2015

| term_end3 = 14 December 2015

| predecessor3 = Ivar Asjes

| successor3 = Jaime Córdoba

|birth_name=Bernard Denzil Whiteman

|birth_date ={{birth date and age|1954|8|20|df=y}}

|birth_place =

|nationality = Dutch

|party = Sovereign People

}}

Bernard "Ben" Denzil Whiteman (born 20 August 1954) is a Curaçaoan politician who served as the fifth prime minister of Curaçao from September 2015 to December 2016. He also was 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.

Early life

Bernad Denzil Whiteman was born on 20 August 1954.{{cite news|url=http://curacaochronicle.com/politics/dr-bernard-whiteman-new-prime-minister-of-curacao/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002000215/http://curacaochronicle.com/politics/dr-bernard-whiteman-new-prime-minister-of-curacao/ |url-status=dead |title=Dr. Bernard Whiteman New Prime Minister Of Curaçao|work=Curaçao Chronicle |date=1 September 2015 |archive-date=2 October 2015}}{{cite web|title=Wie is…………….|accessdate=2 September 2015|work=Knipselkrant Curacao|url=http://www.kkcuracao.info/?p=21468|date=17 January 2013}}

Political career

=Early political career=

On 31 December 2012 Whiteman became Minister of Public Health, Environment and Nature in the cabinet of Daniel Hodge. In April 2013, as Minister of the Environment, he stated he wished for Curaçao to join the Dutch Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone.{{cite web|url=https://dcnanature.org/curacao-joins-management-of-eez/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127235709/https://dcnanature.org/curacao-joins-management-of-eez/ |title=Curaçao Joins EEZ Management |website=dcna.org |date=17 April 2013 |archive-date=27 January 2023}} He retained his position in the cabinet of Ivar Asjes.

In February 2016, Whiteman stated that in 2014 he was nearly assassinated while sitting on his balcony.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/25159767/__Whiteman__bijna_slachtoffer_aanslag___.html |title=Premier Curaçao: 'Drugsbende pleegde aanslag op mij' |language=Dutch |publisher=de Telegraaf |date=7 February 2016 |accessdate=9 October 2016}}

=First Whiteman cabinet=

Whiteman was sworn in as prime minister on 1 September 2015.{{cite news|title=Whiteman new prime minister|url=http://thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58172:whiteman-new-prime-minister&catid=1:islands-news&Itemid=54|accessdate=2 September 2015|work=The Daily Herald|date=2 September 2015|archive-date=15 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015065829/http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58172:whiteman-new-prime-minister&catid=1:islands-news&Itemid=54|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Curacao-prime-minister-resigns-27442.html |title=Curacao prime minister resigns | Caribbean News Now |access-date=2015-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729182918/http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Curacao-prime-minister-resigns-27442.html |archive-date=2017-07-29 |url-status=dead }} He succeeded Ivar Asjes, who resigned after he lost the confidence of his party. Whiteman took on the post of prime minister with the intent of staying in office for three months, to allow his party to search for a successor.{{cite web|author=Joost Pijpker |url=http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2015/09/01/premier-curacao-stapt-op-na-botsingen-met-eigen-partij |title=Premier Curaçao stapt op na botsingen met eigen partij |language=Dutch |publisher=NRC Handelsblad |date=1 September 2015 |accessdate=21 December 2015}} Whiteman retained the ministerial position he held in the Hodge and Ajses cabinets after becoming prime minister. On 29 October 2015, it was announced Whiteman would stay on until the 2016 elections.{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.dolfijnfm.com/whiteman-premier-tot-aan-verkiezingen/ |title=Whiteman premier tot aan Verkiezingen |language=Dutch |publisher=Dolfijn FM |date=29 October 2015 |accessdate=31 December 2015 |archive-date=25 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825191109/http://www.dolfijnfm.com/whiteman-premier-tot-aan-verkiezingen/ |url-status=dead }} The Whiteman Cabinet resigned on 9 November 2015 after losing the parliamentary majority when Marilyn Moses withdrew her support.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/4161770/regering-curaao-dient-ontslag-in.html |title=Regering Curaçao dient ontslag in |language=Dutch |publisher=NU.nl |date=10 November 2015 |accessdate=21 December 2015}} One week later, Whiteman announced he had formed a new coalition, with the entry of the Party for the Restructured Antilles (PAR) into the coalition. The PAR held two seats in the Estates and was allowed to designate the new Minister for the Economy.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.nu.nl/politiek/4166156/curaao-heeft-nieuwe-coalitie.html |title=Curaçao heeft een nieuwe coalitie |language=Dutch |publisher=NU.nl |date=16 November 2015 |accessdate=21 December 2015}} The new cabinet began to function on 30 November 2015.{{cite web|author=Joost Pijpker |url=http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2015/12/01/nieuwe-regering-whiteman-beedigd-op-curacao |title=Nieuwe regering Whiteman beëdigd op Curaçao |language=Dutch |publisher=NRC Handelsblad |date=1 December 2015 |accessdate=21 December 2015}}

=Second Whiteman cabinet=

class="wikitable"
Ministry ! Minister ! Period ! Party
Prime Minister \| Ben Whiteman \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Sovereign People
Minister for Education, Science, Culture and Sport \| Irene Dick \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Sovereign People
Minister for Social Development, Work and Welfare \| Ruthmilda Larmonie-Cecilia \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Sovereign People
Minister for Justice \| Nelson Navarro \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal
Minister for Governance, Planning and Service \| Etienne van der Horst \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal
Minister for Finance \| José Jardim \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Independent, representative for Glenn Sulvaran
Minister for Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning \| Suzanne Camelia-Römer \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| National People's Party
Minister for Economic Development \| Eugene Rhuggenaath \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Party for the Restructured Antilles
Minister for Health, Environment and Nature \| Siegfried Victorina \| 30 November 2015 – 23 December 2016 \| Sovereign People

class="wikitable"

Ministry

! Minister

! Period

! Party

Prime Minister

| Ben Whiteman