Dear Editor,
Breastfeeding for whatever reason is becoming more and more a point of discussion primarily dismissing this practice.
I read the letter from Proud solo mama Mary and Baby G. I will not profess to be an expert in breastfeeding. I understand the frustration, but there is always a reason for reaction. What I believe cause the reaction to this lady breastfeeding a two-year-old baby in public is exactly that – breastfeeding a TWO-year-old in public. This is a rarity in this country and understandable so people will react in different ways. Some surprised, some disgusted, etc., but reality is that action brings reaction. More the reason why one should not resort to name calling, because name calling is the result of lack of information.
Within the last three months at least three times I have read about mothers breastfeeding their babies on buses, trains, malls doctors’ offices, etc., like I mentioned before, primarily dismissing this centuries-old practice. My reaction remains that this is a hypocritical double standard. We admire and permit the same female to walk the beach and enter places of business on the beach (in public) with merely a piece of material covering those same breasts and rear, but we are ready to condemn a mother from feeding her newborn child in the original and natural way.
Do not the majority of us get annoyed when an innocent baby cries in public places? And don’t we definitely know the kind of look that we give the mother? If breastfeeding is the means of quieting that baby is that really so offensive?
Another reason for me considering the breastfeeding issue in public a double standard is something that of late we see and tolerate constantly. We would sit among each other and talk about the disgusting behavior of same sex couples kissing and fondling each other in public, but we would not react to them the same way we do to mothers who breastfeed their babies in public.
And by the way, I think that I dare mention that all mothers know the effects of breast feeding.
Now this. In his speech on the throne the King said several times that the economy of the country is strong. He even said that in 2019 the economy will grow for the sixth year in a row. This falls exactly in line with what I have been stating for a long time. For years the Netherlands has been in charge of the supervision of the finances of the kingdom and stood by and just let things go the wrong way in the rest of the kingdom instead of correcting it right away. Does political correctness and political infighting trump the wellbeing of the people?
Russell A. Simmons
Since visiting Myanmar late 2016, I’ve written extensively about the failure of Guangdong Zhenrong Energy (GZE) to deliver on promises made to this Asian country to build a refinery as part of China’s imperial One Belt One Road (OBOR) vision. GZE was eventually kicked out of Myanmar because of serious financial breach.
Notwithstanding this information, Curaçao (political) authorities were blinded by GZE’s flashy computer presentations promising not only a refinery here, but also casinos and a Las Vegas-style strip! Albeit too late, Curaçao desisted from continuing with this adventure.
It caught my attention that Myanmar has recently announced plans to build a large state-of- the-art oil refinery in Magwe Region, near an existing oil facility. This means that, if the refinery is built, it will not uproot thousands of local farmers and inhabitants as would have been the case had GZE continued with its plans.
The environment and social impact of this project now play an important part after GZE’s plans ended up being investigated by the United Nations. The Government of Myanmar is expected to finance the refinery project in cooperation with the private sector and is moving ahead without GZE notwithstanding its relationship with China which is as “close as lips and teeth.”
Undoubtedly the Burmese authorities are also aware that a whopping 234 infrastructure projects announced in the OBOR countries since 2013 have so far hit major problems. The huge Ituango dam in Colombia is a case in point.
Myanmar has revamped its energy policy by putting in place an energy data collection system; assigning highly qualified staff to government departments responsible for energy policy; sharpening the regulatory environment; investing in innovation technologies and an attractive fiscal framework for the sector.
Construction is expected to take between 3 and 5 years. There’re currently just two old oil refineries in the country – both of which are state-owned. One is currently non-operational, while the other is unable to produce fuels that comply with quality standards.
Myanmar has vowed to be transparent in the new refinery process and to steer away from political mudslinging, shady and “black box-like” circumstances that led to the hasty MoU with GZE one day before the military Junta stepped down. The investigation and prosecution called for by the international community to investigate and prosecute the Burmese military leaders may shed more light into this matter.
Myanmar is the poorest country in Southeast Asia and shares a border with China. Not exactly comparable with Curaçao. Yet there are some lessons to be learned here.
By Alex Rosaria
Former Member of Parliament
Dear Editor,
As a concerned citizen, I’m home here relaxing listing to Billy D talk show (SOS 95.9FM radio) with young Rollocks. It’s a shame to know what the citizens of this Island are going through every day, but prior to every election, the politicians will find you anywhere even in your backyard.
Why do we all have to suffer by the hands of people that we all elected to office? This Island can be better off even during hurricane season but there is too much wickedness and evil within our society.
If we can have a nation of at least 98 per cent of righteous and honest people, then we would not have to worry too much about any hurricane when it’s travelling across the Atlantic Ocean heading for the Caribbean Islands. Yes, we are living in the hurricane zone but with that percentage of our nation, God will be looking over his people at all times.
Just after we’ve been battered by a hurricane you would see neighbours, family and everybody else coming together. By a month or two after that, everything would go back to the same dirty ways again.
We have a chance to fix things among ourselves, so don’t wait for the Dutch to do it for us because it will not be nice.
We need the rightful people to govern this Island, it’s not too late.
This is my contribution for now.
I had to come forward with this after listening to young Rollocks on SOS radio.
Lemuel Fleming
Dear Editor,
We took notice of several expressions, declarations and publications that came out of the last meetings held in Bonaire and The Hague and that greatly alarmed us.
On September 6, Mr. Knops visited Bonaire in remembrance of the discovery of our island on the same day in 1499 and behaved in a comparable way as his ancestors have done over the centuries since the colonization of our islands: he came to (over)see if the subservient local politicians and government comply with the instructions of the colonial master. The great news that the master, Mr. Knops, was satisfied was celebrated extensively by him and the submissive subordinated Bonerian government, humiliating the Bonerian people on their day.
The irony of the celebrations’ theme, “From Generation to Generation” was not lost on the people who from generation to generation have suffered under colonial rule. Mr. Knops, true to the colonial tradition, made some promises to our beggar-politicians which could help them win the upcoming elections, and he shone, even scintillated, as the example of the next generation of Dutch colonizers.
Back in The Hague last week, after the show in Bonaire, it was business as usual for Mr. Knops, this time assisted by Mrs. Van Ark. Without shame or regret it was maintained by both that, although all reports show that about half of the population is living way below the poverty line, there is no need for alleviation, no need for swift action to establish a minimum to guarantee a humane existence. In line with the colonial tradition they both blatantly blamed the islanders for the poverty.
It became clear the policies are not to eradicate poverty but to create, promote, and maintain poverty. Poverty is the business model; the aim is to keep and make our people poor by laws and policies as to collect international funds you need poverty. Mr. Knops’ statements are very clear: he cannot do magic or manipulate the dot on the horizon because it is impossible to keep our people in poverty and eradicate poverty at the same time.
The hypocrisy of Mr. Knops reached its summit when he said that the actions in Bonaire, St. Maarten, and St. Eustatius should not be understood as recolonization but as aid, help, assistance to the islands. What help, Mr. Knops, is the illegal removal of the elected government in St. Eustatius and replacing it with appointees from The Hague; what assistance is it to topple the elected government in St. Maarten and force it to accept measures against its interest using the post-Irma chaos; what aid are the few dollars spent whereas measures to alleviate poverty are refused?
To conclude, Mr. Knops admitted to me in our encounter last January on Bonaire during his inaugural visit as State Secretary, that he does not know and does not want to know our common history and colonial past, and that he is only looking forward in the future. Now I understand that by his actions, that he is right: he is innocent, from his perspective as he is acting in accordance with his laws. Because colonialism and racism are part and parcel of the Dutch mind, he is innocent, as were his predecessors, as were our ancestors which by his constitution and laws were de-humanized, declared non-human, and were legally traded as cattle and herring.
Because he said he does not know the history, I would like to remind him, that through these inhumane, criminal actions, the Dutch rose from being an insignificant fishing village to one of the world’s richest nations; through the blood, sweat, and tears of our enslaved ancestors. The VOC/WIC are listed as biggest company ever in the world’s history, about 10 times bigger then Microsoft and Apple, and they were not selling software. We understand by now why he does not want to know his history. It is because it would confront him with his criminal origins and would expose his actions of today as crimes against humanity no matter that he has legalized them as a constitutional act, a method not very different from the way the Nazi’s legalized their actions against those whom they regarded as belonging to an inferior race.
I hope that this letter is the dot on the horizon that will grow into the rising sun that will brighten the future and shed light on the past, as darkness is not eradicated by darkness but by light. The Netherlands is signatory to the United Nations Charter and as such cannot continue to ignore their violations of the different resolutions to end colonial rule.
Mr. Knops and Mrs. Van Ark, you are in the position to make that change on behalf of The Netherlands.
Respectfully,
James Finies
Dear Editor,
This Baie Rouge Raymond restaurant story is a good example of misleading opinion.
Mr. Mussington sees an injustice when someone operates a restaurant on a piece of land that he does not own or rent, this person is not registered as a company, does not have the authorisation to run a restaurant, does not declare his employees, does not pay any tax, sends the toilet waters into the sea, is not connected to the EdF electricity, cannot implement any food safety control, and in addition to this, makes a mess on the beach with all kind of rubbish that he accumulated.
This is more than enough to say that this gentleman does not have the right to operate a business in this place or any other place for these reasons.
Defending this kind of behaviour is wrong, especially for those who do the same business in a proper way.
No, the beaches are not private, but nobody, even with Mr. Mussington’s blessings, has the right to use them illegally for their own profit.
Another restaurant operator
Name withheld at author's request.
