Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez

Who is Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez?

Dr. Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez was the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles. Da Costa Gomez, a lawyer by training, was a member of the Roman Catholic Party before founding the National People's Party in the 1940s. Da Costa Gomez was Prime Minister at the head of a coalition government with the Aruban People's Party from 1951 to 1954. His party negotiated full autonomy at the 1954 Roundtable Conference, involving the Netherlands and Suriname. Following the 1954 elections, the Democratic Party took over governing the Netherlands Antilles. Da Costa Gomez remained the leader of the National People's Party; he was succeeded in leadership by Juan Evertsz after his death in 1966.

Da Costa Gomez's doctoral thesis called for self-government and universal suffrage and inspired his followers as well as the Roman Catholic Party. Reforms led by Gomez led to legalization of tambú music parties in 1952. In 1973 a statue of the statesman was unveiled in the center of the Curaçao capital Willemstad.