PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament (MP) Ardwell Irion launched a forceful critique of the government's handling of the nomination process for the chairmanship of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS), asserting that the procedure to nominate attorney Jairo Bloem violates the law. Appearing on The Breakfast Lounge radio program, Irion stated his objections are not personal but are rooted in a pattern of procedural and legal missteps by the current administration.
"This is not politics; it's us doing our job as the opposition," Irion declared, framing his stance as a matter of parliamentary oversight. He clarified that his issue is not with Mr. Bloem as a candidate but with the government's method of selection. "My issue is with the process that the government took to get to this point," he said.
Earlier in the week, Attorney Jairo Bloem appeared on the same radio program and discussed what he described as internal government documents relating to the nomination process. Bloem claimed to have seen confidential communications and memos involving ministers and officials, suggesting his candidacy was handled according to established protocols. He referenced these documents in defending his nomination, arguing that the process mirrored previous appointments and was justified by precedent.
Irion was quick to challenge Bloem's statements regarding these internal documents. He questioned how Bloem obtained access to such materials and raised serious concerns about the propriety and legality of publicly discussing them. "He's speaking on this radio about documents—internal documents—from private ministers and so forth. Those are not public documents, so my question is, then where did these documents come from? Why are you then speaking on internal documents if they even exist?" Irion argued that using non-public documents to justify the nomination process only further undermined its transparency and fairness, casting additional doubt on the legitimacy of the appointment.
Irion alleges that the current Minister of Finance initiated an internal recruitment process to find a chairman, a move he claims has no legal basis under the Central Bank's statutes. He explained, "The law is very clear. The law states the board nominates the chairmanship." He contrasted this with his own tenure as Finance Minister, during which a nomination for chairman was put forward by the board. Still, he resulted in a stalemate with Curaçao, leading to the rejection of the nominee. He was adamant that he never unilaterally started a search for a candidate.
"I never, as minister of finance, started an internal recruitment looking for a chairman. That never happened," Irion stated, directly refuting claims that he had acted similarly. "To say the former minister of finance did the same is just trying to muddy the waters."
The MP raised several procedural questions posed in Parliament that he says the Minister of Finance did not answer, including which entity conducted the candidate search and who the other eight candidates were. He also noted the government’s internal Legal Affairs department was not consulted on the process. "We also asked the external lawyers, who is Richard Gibson, that the government pays every year, to provide advice. No, but yet still after the fact, we now want to seek advice," he pointed out.
Irion expressed confidence that the nomination will ultimately fail due to the flawed process. "I believe the candidacy of Mr. Bloem will be a moot point because the process is not followed," he predicted, noting that approval is still needed from Curaçao, the CBCS board, and the Governor.
During the interview, Irion also responded to criticism that the chairmanship remained vacant for four years under his leadership. He explained that the court had appointed temporary board members and that the board was in the process of submitting a new candidate when the government changed. "So then if anything, then the board did not find a person that we both can agree on," he argued, emphasizing the joint nature of the decision with Curaçao.
The discussion also touched on what Irion described as a "savior complex," recalling a personal meeting where Bloem allegedly positioned himself as essential to the bank's stability. "The first time I ever met Mr. Bloem was in my office when he came to me... and basically if I want to ensure the central bank is safe and sound, I need to put him as chairman."
Irion warned that the public dispute risks damaging the financial institution's reputation. He stressed that international financial actors are closely monitoring the situation, which could put the island in a negative light. "You don't want to continue putting the island in a bad light when it comes to this disregard," he said. He challenged the government to seek an unbiased opinion from its own legal department or the CBCS, offering to publicly retract his statements if they can prove the process was legal.
