Dear Editor,
It is deeply troubling to witness yet another political maneuver unfolding in Bonaire under the guise of progress and protection. Mr. Nolly Oleana, former lieutenant governor and leader of Democratic Party, now hosts climate roundtable sessions under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for climate seems to be following the same path once taken by UPB leader Ramonsito Booi
Booi promised Laso Direkto and 300 million under the UN’s Millennium Development Goals to eradicate poverty – a promise never kept. Now, under the Sustainable Development Goals, these same funds are used by Holland to bait and control Bonairean leadership, this time led by Nolly Oleana and Edison Rijna, ex lt. governor and UN special envoy appointed by Dutch government.
The United Nations launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 – eight targets to reduce poverty, improve health, and promote education by 2015. In 2015, they were succeeded by the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 17 goals to address global challenges by 2030. Both aim for a fairer, more sustainable world – but real impact requires genuine action, not empty promises. Holland has used these UN funds to mislead the people of Bonaire, this money to fool the Boneirans as if this money was coming from Holland not United Nations. Holland has used this money to fool the Boneirans as if it’s their money.
Instead of poverty eradication funds, we witnessed the destruction and dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10-10-10. We lost autonomy, self-governance, and democratic control. Our tax revenues are seized without accountability.
Today, climate change is being used as the new disguise – another false promise, not intended to protect the environment, but to control the narrative. These staged climate consultations do not promote real sustainability; they serve the interests of a few privileged individuals and the Dutch authorities, who once again seek to raise another $300 million – this time under the name of climate action. But just like before, this money will never reach the people of Bonaire. What Edison Rijna is doing for Holland on the international stage, Mr. Nolly Oleana is doing for Holland here on Bonaire: pushing the illusion, while the real needs of our people continue to be ignored.
The hard truth is this: native Bonaireans, once 80% of the population before 2010, now make up barely 30%. This rapid demographic shift is no accident. It is the outcome of imposed systems that benefit outsiders while pushing our people to the margins. Instead of 300 million investment in poverty eradication, we were given three food banks. Our women work multiple jobs to survive. Children are left unattended. The cost of living is unbearable. The pressure is inhumane.
Meanwhile, laws that affect our lives are made in the Dutch Parliament – not by us, and not for us. The politicians we vote for are subordinate to The Hague. Rather than defending us, they chase votes – including from Dutch Europeans who gain voting power just three months after arriving. This is not democracy or representation. It is betrayal.
To Mr. Nolly Oleana, we ask: Why not focus on SDG 1 – No Poverty? What matters more: staging climate events to satisfy a foreign agenda or standing up for mothers in our barrios who can’t feed their families? What’s more urgent: photo ops or restoring the dignity and voice of the Bonairean people?
We urge the people of Bonaire: do not allow yourselves to be used again. Let the “fundraiser missionaries” – those rewarded for their loyalty – sit at those tables alone. Let the true, humble Bonaireans rise, resist, and reclaim their fundamental rights.
Our island. Our struggle. Our future. We will not be used or silenced again.
James Finies
Nos Kier Bonaire Bek
