(Curaçao Chronicle)
I am a dissident, but the outcome of the elections of last year has proven that there are thousands of dissidents with me, mainly among the voters of the PS party, which I do not belong to. Whiteman, the then Prime Minister of Curaçao, pitched a fastball by way of an election stunt. But it backfired! More than half his voters have turned their backs on him, as became apparent from the outcome of the election.
In his perpetual wisdom, Whiteman has decided - for us, about us, on behalf of us, but without us - that the salvation of the economy of Curaçao lies in an MOU with China, in which he has offered China on a silver platter the control and exploitation of our two most important natural resources, our two deep-sea ports.
Under the pretext of the infamous tunnel vision, i.e. the modernization of Isla refinery, which China is prepared to finance, Whiteman, without any advance broad-based public debate, signed an MOU in which he offered the entire direction of our future economic development platter to a foreign entity in a most rash and thoughtless manner. Not only will China get control over our two deep-sea ports, no, our entire energy chain will also be taken over by China.
China is prepared to invest US $10 billion (or so they say) in our economy, and in the view of most of our “ruling politicians,” we should be very grateful for this. The fact that Curoil, CPA and Aqualectra will be pushed out of the market and will lose their right of existence, is something they conveniently fail to mention.
Where modernization of the refinery alone is concerned, China is prepared to invest 3 to 5 billion USD. The fact that after modernization, 90% of the brand-new refinery will be computer operated, with a required staff of no more than 400, is also something they conveniently fail to mention. Perhaps our politicians can explain to me where lies the rationality of an investment of US $ 3 billion that will unavoidably result in such a loss of jobs, while all political parties so strongly advocate creation of employment.
With the offer to modernize Isla, China has thrown out small-fish bait to catch a really big fish, because the unwavering demand of this investment is that the oil terminal at Bullenbaai is inextricably included in the deal of Isla refinery. However, inextricably connected with the oil terminal and also inextricably connected with Isla are the huge water parcels bordering on the oil terminal and Isla. As such, with the oil terminal and Isla, China also gets control and exploitation of our two deep-sea ports.
What our politicians also conveniently fail to mention is that there is a fully-worked-out plan ready for large scale industrial development of the back country adjacent to the oil terminal at Bullenbaai, where a variety of industrial establishments will be provided with a variety of investors (locally and internationally), which could create tens of thousands of jobs with a risk-spread because of such intended diversification, since Curaçao will then not be dependent on one big foreign investor.
What our politicians also conveniently fail to mention is that this large-scale development of the back country at Bullenbaai will be doomed if Curaçao does not maintain control and operation of the deep-sea port at Bullenbaai itself, because without the deep-sea port to facilitate the development, the latter will be like a still-born child.
One spicy detail, which has also been conveniently left unmentioned by our politicians, is the fact that the large-scale development plan was explained to the Council of Ministers in a Power Point presentation on May 7th of last year, and at which occasion all the ministers had nodded in approval, full of praise for the large-scale development plan under our own control. Nevertheless, the Council of Ministers has deemed it useful, necessary and desirable (please see the National Resolution signed by them) by way of an election stunt during last year’s election campaign, to pull this MOU with the Chinese out of his hat.
And beware she who dares to have a different opinion and propagate this opinion.
Well, the undersigned has had the audacity to disclose her opinion as referred to hereinabove to the public, and therefore she “does no longer fit on the team”. Well, so be it! I am a dissident and I shall remain a dissident. However, the outcome of the elections has proven that with me, there are many thousands of fellow dissidents. What does he mean by the “will of the people”?
Marguérite Nahar (LL.M.)
Kaya Alonso de Ojeda 57
Saliña Harbour View
Tel.: 461-8020/667-1430
