Dear Editor,
The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) has issued an “SOS” appeal to the international community. It characterises Bonaire’s population growth as a “silent humanitarian crisis” that is “eliminating” the native Bonairian people. We recognise the concern for identity and culture underlying that message. However, PBNO does not share this assessment and believes that the proposed remedy – an urgent appeal to bodies such as CARICOM, the OAS and the United Nations – risks doing more harm than good by spreading unnecessary fear in our community.
Bonaire has long been shaped by immigration. From the colonial period and the era of slavery to the arrival of people who came for work from the Netherlands, Curaçao, Venezuela and Suriname in recent decades, Bonaire has long been shaped by people arriving from elsewhere. This is not a new phenomenon in 2026; it is part of the historical pattern that has helped form the Bonaire we know today. A person’s identity is not determined solely by demographic percentages, but also by language, tradition and active participation in community life.
Immigration and the continuity of essential sectors. Bonaire’s economy – including tourism, construction, health care and education – depends on a labour force that the local population alone cannot always supply. PBNO’s position is that, where a local population is below the natural replacement level, a responsible workforce policy must account for the labour needed to sustain essential services and economic activity.
A smaller share of the population is not the elimination of culture. The fact that native Bonairians may represent a smaller share of the total population does not, in itself, mean that their identity, language or culture is being eliminated. Culture remains alive through active use: Papiamentu in schools, on the radio and at home; and traditions such as Simadan, mask dances and traditional food. It is not preserved by a numerical calculation of who forms a majority.
What small islands risk when their own workforce cannot meet every need. St Helena offers a relevant comparison. Its government reports that the number of children under 15 fell from around 1,500 in 1987 to just over 500 in 2024, while the number of people aged 65 and over rose from around 500 to more than 1,100. It also reports that demographic changes and skills shortages have led to international recruitment for essential public-service roles, including nursing, teaching and care work. The lesson is not that immigration alone solves every challenge, but that a small island must plan carefully for the sustainability of its services, economy and community.
Bonaire needs a serious conversation, not an alarm call. The concerns underlying BHRO’s message – housing prices, rising taxes and pressure on ancestral land – are real and deserve serious attention. However, PBNO does not believe that the answer is to portray population growth as an existential threat or to seek external intervention on the basis of an alarmist framing. To set out our position and contribute constructively to the international dialogue, Plataforma Boneiru Nobo i Mas Outónomo (PBNO) will also send a formal letter to the United Nations – including the Special Committee on Decolonisation (C-24) and the Decolonisation Unit – CARICOM, the OAS, the OECS, COPPPAL and other relevant international organisations. The letter will set out the demographic context and PBNO’s structured approach to self-determination. The way forward lies in serious urban planning, protection of ancestral land, management of housing costs and investment in our language and culture – pursued by Bonairians themselves through our democratic process.
On behalf of Plataforma Boneiru Nobo i Mas Outónomo (PBNO)
Willem A. Cecilia
