Speech Kingdom Representative oath island governor John Soliano
Today during this ceremonial meeting of the Island Council, Mr John Robert Edward Soliano is going to take the oath in which he swears that he shall be faithful to the Constitution and obey the laws and that he shall perform his duties as Island Governor to the best of his knowledge and belief.
But before we move on to that, I would like once again to publicly thank the two nomination committees and all the support staff involved for the enthusiasm with which they helped me to produce my recommendation. A recommendation that ultimately led to the appointment of Mr John Soliano as Island Governor for Bonaire.
During the application interviews with John, he impressed me with his high social and ethical standards. He considers integrity and purity of action as an important characteristic of his professional conduct. In the performance of the position of Island Governor, these standards shall certainly come in handy. But at the same time, they shall also come under pressure with driven Executive Councils and associated ambitions. It is good then to have an Island Governor who has an eye for these standards and deals with them appropriately.
It is a great advantage that we shall have an Island Governor on Bonaire who is from Bonaire. That means he not only knows the language but also the culture and the people. At the same time, Bonaire is no longer just the Bonaire of people born here. The State Committee Demographic Developments Caribbean Netherlands released a report on this in July, including on the consequences. This report emphasises the major challenges in the coming period and the need to manage the impending social changes through cooperation. Direction that demands a lot from the administrators, but certainly from the Island Governor to be there for all islanders, regardless of where they were born or raised. I am sure that Mr Soliano shall be fully committed to this.
That includes being actively involved as a community in decision-making that affects us. As citizens, let us make good use of this. Because we, the Executive Council, Island Council, and citizens, are together responsible for the developments on our beautiful Bonaire.
The onerous task of being Island Governor rests not only on the shoulders of the person himself but also on those of the family. In that regard, I also express my wish for his wife and family to continue enjoying each other during those rare moments of rest. Rest that an Island Governor also needs for his relaxation. That he can continue to enjoy the dancing he loves so much with his wife from time to time. So let us also agree with each other as a community that we shall respect those rare moments of leisure.
I would now like to proceed to the official part of taking the oath. I invite Mr Soliano to come forward, stand and, after the text of the oath has been read out, pronounce: “Ku Dios Todopoderoso yudami!”
Mi ta hura ku pa mi nombramentu den e kargo o funshon di gezaghebber mi no a duna ni primintí, ni direkta- ni indirektamente, bou di ningun nòmber ni denominashon ni preteksto, ningun regalo ni fabor.
Mi ta hura ku mi no a risibí ni mi no a aseptá, ni lo mi no aseptá, ni direkta- ni indirektamente, ningun regalo ni ningun promesa di hasi algu o laga di hasi algu den e kargo o funshon en kuestion.
Mi ta hura ku lo mi ta fiel na Konstitushon, ku lo mi kumpli ku lei i ku lo mi kumpli ku mi obligashonnan komo gezaghebber segun mi konsenshi i honor.“May God Almighty help me!”
In English:
I swear that for my appointment to the position or function of Island Governor, I have not given nor promised, neither directly nor indirectly, under any name or pretext, any gift or favour.
I swear that I have not received nor accepted, nor will I accept, neither directly nor indirectly, any gift or any promise to do something or refrain from doing something in the position or function in question.
I swear that I will be faithful to the Constitution, that I will comply with the law, and that I will fulfil my obligations as Island Governor, according to my conscience and honour."
This completes the formal part of the oath-taking and it is my pleasure to be the first to congratulate the Island Governor, Mr John Soliano! I wish him much wisdom, patience, humour, and above all good health to perform this arduous task with energy.