KRALENDIJK – Former island governor of Saba Jonathan Johnson will become acting Kingdom Representative for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba as of 1 January 2027. The Council of Ministers approved his nomination on Friday. Johnson now lives on Bonaire, where the office of the Kingdom Representative is also based.
The 50-year-old Johnson succeeds Jan Helmond, who has held the position since November 2017. The appointment will be formalised by Royal Decree. As Kingdom Representative, Johnson will serve as the link between the central government in The Hague and the three public bodies. His responsibilities include good governance and inter-administrative supervision. The office of the Kingdom Representative is located in Kralendijk on Bonaire.
Johnson served as island governor of Saba from 2008 until last summer, making him the island’s highest-ranking official for eighteen years. He began a year earlier as acting governor. Before his administrative career, he served as director of the secondary school on Saba.
During his tenure as governor, Saba experienced the constitutional reform of 10 October 2010, when the island became a public body of the Netherlands. Johnson also had to deal with hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic. At his farewell in June, he was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. State Secretary Eric van der Burg praised his commitment to good governance, social cohesion and Saba’s position within the Kingdom.
Johnson announced as early as July 2025 that he would not be available for a new term as governor after his third term. He said at the time that he was ready for a new chapter. Jocelyn Levenstone succeeded him on Saba this summer.
The appointment as Kingdom Representative is temporarily acting in nature, because the Public Bodies Act for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the WolBES, is currently being revised. Under the proposed legislation, the office will be retained but reorganised. With Johnson’s appointment, the cabinet aims to ensure continuity until it is clear how the role will be structured following the legislative amendment.
