Dear Editor,
I am writing to bring urgent attention to a serious accessibility issue affecting disabled passengers traveling on WINAIR flights throughout our Dutch Kingdom territories.
Last week, while traveling from Saba to St. Maarten on a WINAIR flight, I witnessed a disturbing scene that highlights the inadequate provisions for wheelchair-bound passengers. Two elderly ladies, who required wheelchairs, were among the passengers, both traveling for medical reasons. The boarding process was nothing short of distressing.
Both women struggled desperately to enter the aircraft, with one unable to board without a fellow passenger physically lifting her into the plane. While I commend the Good Samaritan who assisted, this situation was potentially dangerous and certainly undignified. The passenger could have been injured, and the elderly woman was subjected to an unsafe and humiliating experience.
Upon arrival in St. Maarten, Accessible Ventures staff did their best to assist with deplaning, but the challenges persisted. On the return evening flight, the same passenger faced identical difficulties boarding, and even encountered problems accessing the bus at the airport – another indication that our transportation infrastructure fails our disabled community.
This is not a new problem. Twelve years ago, I experienced similar difficulties when an injury left me unable to walk. I had to be transported into a WINAIR aircraft using a blanket – a makeshift solution that was neither safe nor dignified. The fact that disabled passengers still face these same challenges over a decade later is unacceptable.
Our airports in Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten must urgently address this accessibility gap. Proper loading equipment – whether specialized ramps, lifts, or other assistive devices – should be standard at every airport serving disabled passengers. This responsibility likely falls jointly on WINAIR, the respective airport authorities, and perhaps the broader transportation oversight bodies in our Dutch Kingdom.
Air travel is a necessity, not a luxury, particularly for residents of our smaller islands who must travel for medical care. Every passenger, regardless of physical ability, deserves safe, dignified access to public transportation. The current situation violates basic principles of accessibility and potentially puts vulnerable passengers at risk.
I call upon WINAIR, our airport authorities, and relevant government officials to immediately investigate and implement proper accessibility solutions. Disabled passengers should not have to rely on the kindness of strangers or endure unsafe boarding procedures.
This issue affects our most vulnerable citizens and has persisted far too long. The time for action is now.
Concerned citizen
Name withheld at author’s request.
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
Dear Editor,
The police force could not have gotten a better public relation officer in the person of Inspector Josepha. Kudos to you, Inspector Josepha, for keeping the public informed, with regard to the crime situation on the island! You are so down to earth and always willing to share your knowledge with the public, whenever you are called upon to do so. Your behaviour tells me who you are, inside.
You are so patient. When I look at you, I’m reminded of the Biblical story of Job, who was so patient. Even when he lost everything, he still remained faithful, no matter how challenging the gravity of his situation. The correlation is that you are so outgoing and patient with law breakers. Not that you support their behaviour. No, you believe in dialogue, first. By doing so, you are setting the foundation to establish a better relationship, with the public.
Furthermore, by giving the public a chance to become more aware of the regulations, you are hoping that the motorists would understand and adhere to the traffic rules, before you reached the point of handing them a fine. This kind of attitude is so commendable! It reveals not just leadership skills, but being conscious that your job would be a lot easier, if you create that bond with the community.
Your leadership style reminds me of when I was growing up. One day, I was on a bike, speeding and having fun, but was riding in the opposite direction. Not realizing the danger, a kind and concerned policeman like you, stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to get off the bike, and he sat me down and spoke to me as if he were my dad. He explained me the traffic rules and the danger that I was in if I had collided with the oncoming traffic. Up today, I remember that conversation as if it was yesterday, and I never made that mistake, ever again.
What really gets my attention also, is how you make yourself available to go at different locations to explain the various scenarios. This is important because it accommodates the viewers' learning modality, which helps us to absorb the information, a lot better. For me, that is so commendable! Thank you for always being so patient and so accessible!
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
On the beaches of St. Martin, a new environmental challenge has emerged – one not shaped by storms or erosion, but by an overabundance of Sargassum seaweed. Once a natural and largely unnoticed component of the marine ecosystem, Sargassum has surged in both volume and visibility, blanketing the island’s iconic beaches and unsettling the twin pillars of its economy: tourism and environmental health.
The arrival of Sargassum in such overwhelming quantities has become a defining issue for the Caribbean region. On popular coastlines like Orient Beach, thick mats of seaweed wash ashore with the tides, pile up in decaying mounds, and release a pungent odor as they rot – emitting hydrogen sulfide, a gas that poses health risks to residents and visitors alike. The sheer volume has left hoteliers and local governments scrambling for solutions.
Crews begin work as early as 5 a.m., according to local contractors, using bulldozers, pickup trucks and manual labor to clear the beaches. Despite these efforts, new deposits arrive almost daily, brought in by shifting currents and overnight tides. One contractor candidly described the challenge as “a long-term problem without a quick solution.”
But what’s driving this phenomenon? According to scientists, changes in ocean temperature, wind patterns, and currents – largely attributed to climate change – are fueling unprecedented Sargassum growth. As surface waters warm, they create conditions ideal for Sargassum blooms, in much the same way that warm waters fuel hurricanes. Warmer temperatures accelerate growth, while shifts in currents carry vast rafts of seaweed from the Sargasso Sea into the tropical Atlantic and, ultimately, onto Caribbean shores.
Dr. Ajit Subramaniam, a biological oceanographer at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, explains that this transformation in ocean dynamics has created “massive rafts of seaweed affecting the beaches off the Caribbean.” Once confined to the open ocean, Sargassum now inundates coastlines from Mexico to Martinique and St Martin.
To understand and address the issue, Dr. Subramaniam is leading research into the feasibility of deep-sea sequestration. The idea involves trapping the Sargassum offshore and sinking it to depths of at least 2,000 meters, where it could potentially store carbon and reduce surface bloom impacts. This approach would not be a permanent solution, but it could offer critical breathing room while more comprehensive strategies are developed.
Meanwhile, St. Martin is not standing still.
Sebastian Price and Deirdre Frost
Dear Editor,
I returned on a flight from St. Barths to Princess Juliana Airport on Tuesday, July 15, on
Winair flight #670, 4:20pm. I cleared Customs/Immigration in St. Barths, boarded the plane, taxied the runway and flew to SXM, disembarked, hopped on a bus to the terminal, cleared the Customs/Immigration line of arrivals, picked up my luggage from the conveyor, paid for parking and exited the airport, car pointed towards Simpson Bay. This all took a matter of 33 minutes! Congratulations to WinAir and Princess Juliana Airport for a masterful job in efficiency!
Now for the problem; I was only traveling a distance 9/10ths of a mile to my residence located on Simpson Bay and the time it took to drive from the airport to my home was 36 minutes! It took less time to fly while meeting all of the requirements than to drive from the airport to my home which is less than a mile away. This is totally ridiculous!
Government of St. Maarten, you have a real big problem here and I am amazed that NOTHING seems to be happening to correct this horrendous traffic problem on this very special and beautiful island. What are you doing now to alleviate this problem especially with the current construction of so many new condo units in Sint Maarten?
It's time to stop the lip service about this obvious issue and move on to specific action. Who is in charge of this overwhelming traffic situation? Maybe they need to be replaced because they surely are not doing their job! Island businesses cannot effectively do their jobs either when caught in all-day traffic jams.
The tourists’ arrival to SXM will decline and I hope you will fully understand that it was your failure to address and solve the issue before it was too late. Visitors are trying to escape from their hometown traffic, and not sit in it during their precious vacation time.
For an island that totally depends on tourism to support their economy, I do not see the vision behind not initiating a much-needed change. Do you really think this traffic situation is a good first impression of our island?
Sure, it’s going to be painful, but a little pain must be endured for a prosperous island to continue attracting the source of its livelihood.
Perhaps you could have conversations with other islands who have successful traffic plans in place, maybe starting with Bermuda.
Time is running out.
S.H.
Initials used at author’s request.
