Dear Editor,
Cycling across sandy roads in the scorching heat. Between towering coral cliffs, artistically sculpted by the eternal wind. Between thriving mangrove forests and infinite salt marshes. Where menacing cacti are standing beside enchanting trees.
It can all be found in the western part of the Netherlands - in the far west to be clear. Where you can swim with tropical fish, which sway with you to the rhythm of the waves. Where people give you a friendly smile - and take life as it comes. Heavy divers popping up as stiff seals out of the blue sea. Older surfers experience their childhood once again in the timeless sunlight. You see it on Bonaire - The Netherlands in the Caribbean.
But the paradise of Bonaire – like St. Eustatius and Saba since 2010 part of the Netherlands as a public entity - also has a black edge. The island is a small community (fewer than 20,000 inhabitants), but there are significant differences. Along the coast are the million-dollar villas, of which there are few earned with honest work. Not far from there are poor neighbourhoods, where there is little work and not a lot to earn. There is a lot of anger because 'the Dutch' arrange everything. But if they don’t, not much would be done. Poverty is also brought up all the time. So many young people do not have employment, but jobs are done by people from outside - from Venezuela, Colombia and Peru - who are underpaid and exploited.
Recently, Bonaire was shocked by the murder of a policeman, an act that might have been committed by a drug trafficker, who also works for the drug mafia in Colombia. During my stay last week on this beautiful island, there were several shootings, nearby where I was staying. The car of a critical journalist was destroyed - a form of harassment.
Other great villains are the banks, which extend expensive loans for too expensive cars that people cannot afford. And there are the Chinese supermarkets, which lend people money at high interest rates. This leads to debts and feeds the anger towards the Netherlands. With signs along the roads where unsuspecting tourists are accused of ‘Dutch apartheid’.
Since 1633, when our country conquered Bonaire from the Spaniards, we belong together, but we still do not understand each other. But that doesn’t really matter, because deep down we love each other - otherwise we would not make such a hassle. Because this is our "Island in the Sun" as Harry Belafonte sang 60 years ago. A song in which the American calypso king sang about his love for our Bonaire. With all the money he earned from this worldwide hit, Belafonte bought property in Bonaire, where even a residential area (Belnem) was named after him. And so love became money again and the Caribbean circle is round again. In this paradise, but always elusive, as part of the Netherlands.
Ronald van Raak
Member of the Second Chamber of the
Dutch Parliament for the Socialist Party (SP)
Dear Editor,
The writing is on the wall. Government should uplift the border areas in Oyster Pond and also Dawn Beach main road with proper roads sidewalks and more streetlight and see to that the four green containers be painted.
Middle Region, which has one the best district names, government should do more towards bringing some of the public offices to Middle Region. GEBE, UTS, and Telcell. bills can also be paid in Middle Region; even some of the schools in St. Peters and South Rewards can be move to Middle Region.
One fire truck can be put in Middle Region to protect Middle Region, Oyster Pond, Dawn Beach, Dutch Quarter, Sucker Garden, Guana Bay and Madame Estate areas.
Government must resurface Middle Region’s roads so that the bus drivers will feel very comfortable running their buses there again. The bus drivers are right the road needs to be resurface very soon.
Now, St. Maarten has a new government let us hope they will help our senior citizens more internationally, build low income homes for the people. The high house rent on the island and a very low minimum wage makes life very hard for the people.
It's time government let Central Bank pay the clients of CKC Credit Union members their money.
Cuthbert Bannis
Dear Editor,
Everywhere you go, be it on social media or here in St. Maarten, the truth is becoming now the new hate speech.
The dangerous part is that many people who proclaim they like the truth are who actually oppose it. Do you know having money now means you are a good man or a good woman?
Some people call a man with money a good provider but do they check to see how he is accumulating his money.
Some people call a woman a good woman because she has a beautiful body.
But do they know if she has a clean heart? But let’s keep it in St. Maarten; once you are making a quick dollar and you can pay bills for some women they will call you a good man.
But morality does not matter anymore; it is all about the money. But if you tell women and men that you will be labelled offensive and they will call that hate speech.
The truth is in a class by itself. Because truth shines a light on darkness. Look how many young ladies love hanging out and being involved in a relationship with gangsters and drug pushers.
We see it and we turn the blind eye because the truth is too painful and it is in a class by itself.
We train our sons to be macho men, but doing that on the other end of the stick means your daughter should be like a whore. It takes two hands to clap.
But if I say that, it will be called hate speech and offensive.
We always talk about education, but the first education should be taught at home. This education is called values and morality.
Education does not make you a decent person, education gives you the tool to attain wealth and success but that does not make you a good and decent person.
Strippers and Gigolos get rich by selling sex or the beauty of flesh; does it makes them a good man and woman eventhough they may be a good provider.
The conclusion is if we truly believe in hope and optimism then we should promote values that foster a good and healthy lifestyle.
The truth will remain in a class by itself if we do not change for the better.
The patriot Miguel Arrindell
Dear Editor,
The entire top brass of Parliament has flown off to Curaçao for the entire week of January 9th, to attend the tripartite meetings, and the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO). While the President of Parliament MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, and First and Second Vice Presidents, MP Rudolphe Samuel and MP Frans Richardson, respectively, are off island, the Parliament of Sint Maarten is left without a leader.
Dear Colleagues,
We are now over six (6) years after the restructured constitutional relations within the Kingdom, of which we resulted in the BES-islands public entity system, as a temporary structure and where our islands Bonaire and Sint Eustatius have been deceived. Our peoples structurally over the years have complained, protested and have held several referendums all resulting in democratic rejection of this imposed modernized colonial structure on our peoples.
Several scientific and popular research from various independent institutions, scholars, etc. within and outside the Kingdom including your own appointed Commission Spies all came to the same conclusion, that after 10-10-10 the people of Bonaire are unhappy, build up an anti-Dutch sentiment because of the obvious invasion and takeover by the European Dutch and consequently, and hence democratically rejected this status in the December 2015 referendum, with an indisputable 65 per cent “no”vote, ratified by the elected island council as a legally binding democratic decision of the Bonairian peoples.
As up today your Dutch government has supported the current local government, which has campaigned openly and publicly for the “yes”vote during the referendum and which is in complete denial and disrespect of the voice and decision of the peoples. This implicates both the Dutch Government and the local government to gross violation of the democratic principles of the rule of law, the democratic, self-determination and human rights of the Bonairian peoples with this power-based arrogant position and against the will and voice of the peoples.
It is obvious that you have used your power to overrule local government decisions by your Kingdom acts over the last years structurally within the Kingdom, but as we have experienced and based on all facts here – above and more, you have shown to be of double – moral when it comes to the defence of our people’s democratic, self-determination and human rights, where you consequently are taking a unilateral undemocratic approach and position and are on your way to consolidate the annexation and embedding of us, without freedom and equality in your constitution.
Today, we as the people , which these rights belong to and not to the government nor the politicians, are experiencing a factual betrayal by both governments, in power, the Kingdom and local, who are elected and are supposed to respect and guide the democratic rule of law. As we all agree that rule of law and law is based on mutual respect from all of us, I myself and all others who are experiencing the same betrayal are without defence of our governments regarding to respect to democracy and laws, has no option to fall back on our universal and inalienable natural rights, our law of nature, which is the base of our existence and our human dignity.
We will only promote passive non-violent resistance, and will follow our natural rights our birth-right natural laws till you stop the embedding of our territory in your constitution and the rule of law and democracy are respected and restored in our territory. It will be up to us the people to respect or not any unnatural laws and protection imposed on our natural resources and habitat so we can guarantee our existence and till we are guaranteed of respect to our democratic, self-determination and human rights are re-established and protected.
James Finies, Nos Ke Boneiru Bek
