Ciro Domenico Kroon (31 January 1916 – 9 June 2001) was an Curaçao politician and businessman. He served as Minister of Social and Economic Affairs from 1957 until 1968, and
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles
Below is a list of prime ministers of the Netherlands Antilles from 1951 to 2010. In 2010 the position of Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles was abolished, together with the dissolution of the country itself.
List of prime ministers of ...
from 1968 until 1969. The
1969 Curaçao uprising
The 1969 Curaçao uprising (known as ''Trinta di Mei'', "Thirtieth of May", in Papiamentu, the local language) was a series of riots on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, then part of the Netherlands Antilles, a semi-independent country in the K ...
caused the collapse of his government.
Biography
Kroon was born on 31 January 1916 in
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
. After finishing high school, he worked in trade.
In 1942, he joined the civil service in the Department of Social and Economic Affairs. In 1944, he was one of the founders of the
Democratic Party of Curaçao.
In 1945, he was a candidate for the
Estates of Curaçao and Dependencies, but did not get elected.
In 1949, Kroon was elected to the Estates. On 16 June 1951, he became a member of the
island council of Curaçao, and served until 1957.
In 1956, he first served as acting Lieutenant governor of Curaçao. In November 1957, he was appointed Minister of Social and Economic Affairs.
Prime minister
In January 1968, prime minister
Efraïn Jonckheer
Efraïn Jonckheer (20 October 1917 – 30 March 1987) was a businessman and politician of the Netherlands Antilles. Jonckheer served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles from 8 November 1954 until 14 February 1968. He served as Minister ...
announced his intention to retire from active politics, and named Kroon as his successor. On 15 February, Kroon became
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles
Below is a list of prime ministers of the Netherlands Antilles from 1951 to 2010. In 2010 the position of Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles was abolished, together with the dissolution of the country itself.
List of prime ministers of ...
. The same day, he wanted to drive to the airport to say goodbye to Jonckheer, however he was involved in a traffic accident with a bus, and was hospitalised with a
concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
.
On the outside, Curaçao appeared to be in great shape. It had one of the highest per capita incomes, a 99.5% literacy rate, a tourist friendly capital with luxury hotels and many
duty-free shops
A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who ...
,
however
Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...
, the largest employer, had laid off 2,000 workers. About 20% of the population, mainly of African descent, was unemployed, and many were living in slums on the edge of
Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William I of the Netherlands, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdo ...
.
On the other hand, the mainly Caucasian management was living in the
segregated and
gated villa wards of
Julianadorp
Julianadorp, is a town in North Holland, Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Den Helder. It lies about 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) south of the town of Den Helder, north of the municipality of Schagen and west of Hollands Kroon.
...
and
Emmastad
Groot Kwartier is a neighbourhood of Willemstad, Curaçao. It is better known as Emmastad, a villa ward built by Royal Dutch Shell for its employees. Emmastad is officially part of Groot Kwartier.
History
Groot Kwartier started as a plantation i ...
.
![Buildings destroyed, 1969 Curaçao uprising](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Buildings_destroyed%2C_1969_Cura%C3%A7ao_uprising.png)
Royal Dutch Shell announced using plumbers of subcontractor
Werkspoor
Werkspoor N.V. was the shortened, and later the official name of the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en Spoorwegmaterieel. It was a Dutch machine factory, known for rolling stock, (ship) steam engines, and diesel engines. It was a successor ...
Caribbean (WESCAR), where the employees received significant lower wages. A strike was called for the end of May by the unions. On 30 May 1969, the strikers were joined by disgruntled personnel of
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...
, and a march was organised to the centre of Willemstad which escalated in a riot where houses were set on fire, and shops were looted.
The police were unable to handle the situation, prime minister Kroon could not located, governor
Cola Debrot
Nicolaas (Cola) Debrot (4 May 1902 – 3 December 1981) was a writer, lawyer, medical doctor and politician.
Biography
Debrot was born in Kralendijk, the son of a plantation owner. In 1904 he moved from Bonaire to Curaçao, and then when he was ...
was in New York, therefore,
Ronchi Isa
Ramez Jorge (Ronchi) Isa (17 October 1917 – 17 March 2005) was a politician of the Netherlands Antilles of Lebanese descent. Isa served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles from February 1971 until April 1971, and from November 1972 ...
, Minister of Justice, called in the
Netherlands Marine Corps
The Netherlands Marine Corps ( nl, Korps Mariniers) is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines trace their origins back to the establishment of the on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dut ...
.
The riot ended when it was announced that Shell and WESCAR had given into the demands,
and the marines left on 6 June.
The riot had resulted in two deaths, 69 wounded, 53 buildings were destroyed, and 190 looted. Damages were estimated at US$40 million. The government of the Netherlands Antilles announced its resignation,
and an ''ad interim'' government was formed headed by which would act as a place holder until the
1969 elections.
Ernesto Petronia was later elected as the first Prime Minister of African descent, however the Democratic Party would remain the largest party in the coalition.
Later life
In July 1970, Kroon founded the party ''Movimento pa adelanto Social Antiyano'' (Movement for Antillian Social Advancement).
In 1971, he was re-elected to the Estates.
On 20 November 1973, he became Minister of Economic Affairs, Sports and Culture in the
Evertsz cabinet,
and served until 14 October 1977.
After retiring from politics, Kroon became president of the Curaçao branch of
Mercantil Banco, and in December 1985, he was appointed
formateur
A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is ...
of a new government which resulted in the
Don Martina
Dominico Felipe "Don" Martina (born 1 May 1935) is a Curaçaoan politician. He served two terms as List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles. His first term lasted from November 1979 to October ...
government.
Honours
* Knight of the
Order of the Netherlands Lion
The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...
* Commander of the
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
*
Order of the Liberator
The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other or ...
*
Order of San Carlos
The Order of San Carlos is a state order granted by Colombia. The order was founded 16 August 1954 to honor Colombian citizens and foreign civilians and military officers who have made outstanding contributions to the nation of Colombia, especiall ...
See also
*
Jonckheer-Kroon cabinet
The Jonckheer-Kroon cabinet, also called the Fourth Jonckheer cabinet was the 4th cabinet of the Netherlands Antilles.
Composition
The cabinet was composed as follows:
, rowspan="2", List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles, Minister ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroon, Ciro
1916 births
2001 deaths
Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles
Government ministers of the Netherlands Antilles
Curaçao politicians
Curaçao businesspeople
Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Members of the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles