Dear Editor,
With consternation and alarm we read in the press today, that Statia was in “mediation” and “negotiations” to “restore” democracy. It reminds us of a car owner negotiating to buy back his vehicle from the thieves that stole it.
The right to self-determination is inalienable which means it can never be lost, much less “restored”. What needs to happen on Statia is for the Dutch State to cease violating Statia’s jus cogens, or peremptory right to self-determination, and cease its lawless actions on Statia immediately. To all who participated in this charade we remind you of what the Dutch State said about rendering “aid and assistance” in maintaining an unlawful situation:
“In sum, the Kingdom of the Netherlands submits that, given the peremptory character of the right of self-determination, a serious breach of the right of self-determination obliges all States not to recognize the situation created as a result of that breach and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created as a result of the serious breach of that right.” (Written Statement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, par. 4.9)
The Dutch State knows better!
In its “Written Statement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands” of February 27, 2018, the Kingdom announced to the world that:
a. The right to self-determination is a peremptory or “jus cogens” (dwingend recht) norm.
b. This includes the right of peoples to determine their own economic, social and cultural policies without any outside pressure or interference.
c. Violating the right to self-determination of a people is an internationally wrongful act entailing state responsibility of the State that committed the breach.
d. This right to self-determination is permanent, inalienable, universal and, peremptory. (dwingend recht)
e. The Dutch State is under a peremptory (dwingend recht) obligation to “respect and promote” the right to self-determination.
f. Even though a territory has integrated or associated with another state, the right to self-determination continues unabated – as does the peremptory obligation of the state with which a territory has associated or integrated to respect and promote that right.
Statia has the peremptory right to self-determination.
The Dutch State is therefore fully aware that because of this overriding or peremptory character of Statia’s right to self-determination, no Rijkswet or article in Het Statuut or Kingdom Charter can derogate or violate that right. In straightforward terms, Statia’s right to self-determination is untouchable, permanent inalienable and universal. Because it is inalienable it can never be lost, or “restored”. It can also never be the subject of any “mediation” or “negotiation”. It is non-negotiable.
The responsibility of the Dutch State:
According to the Written Statement, the Dutch State it is under the peremptory obligation to respect and promote Statia’s right to self-determination.
The Dutch State must explain its actions on Statia.
We therefore call on the Dutch state to explain how a Rijkswet can ever overrule a peremptory norm of international law.
The charade must stop.
We therefore call on the Dutch state to stop these sham “negotiations” and “mediations.” It is unacceptable that a modern, enlightened and progressive State that lauds the Rule of Law should engage in such unlawful behavior.
The gig is up.
We hope that the Dutch State realizes that we are fully aware of our rights under international law. This knowledge means that Dutch hegemony has ended. The Kingdom will be changed. For the better.

Pro Soualiga Foundation

Dear Editor
When I saw the paper on Friday and saw Mr. Pompier’s name, I was intrigued. I know Charlon in the sense that I have had numerous meetings with him and exchanged countless communications about often contentious issues. In each and every circumstance I found him to be honest, forthright and absolutely professional at all times.
It’s true that we didn’t agree on much in the sense that he represents VROMI and I was really angry with them at the time over what I believed was their completely wrongheaded approach to certain things so we were on diametrically opposed sides of the argument but at all times, regardless of how wrong I thought he was, he acquitted himself as a genuine and sincere civil servant with only the best interests of the Island at heart.
He certainly lacks the deviousness and ability to lie convincingly that is often the trademark of dealing with government functionaries everywhere and, as such, I found him often to be telling the truth about things that maybe he should have been less open about, but that told me a lot about the man himself. He may be a bit naive but in the end he would always tell the truth when a lie would have served him better.
So, when I read the account of what transpired that ended up with him being tossed unceremoniously from the party that he founded for the island good and I have to decide who I am going to believe, then that decision is a no-brainer. I believe Charlon’s account word for word. And it leaves me with great respect for him. Honesty and integrity are in short supply these days. This is a man with both. VROMI is well served by having him and his ex-political party is a far lesser entity without him. Well done, Charlon.

Steven Johnson

Next June, the 9th Summit of the Americas (the Summit), will take place in Los Angeles bringing together leaders and stakeholders from the countries of North, South, Central America, and the Caribbean promoting cooperation, and inclusive economic growth based on shared democratic values. But we won’t be represented.
Unfortunately, we barely pay attention to or make an effort to join such regional or hemisphere-wide gatherings. Our myopic decision-makers are simply too consumed with The Hague.
In an earlier article, I mentioned some topics worth discussing with the U.S. and the region: climate change, pandemics, corresponding banks, and commerce. It’s timely, since the U.S. intends to give its allies in Latin America, and the Caribbean more attention. And it’s expanding the U.S. Consulate (activities) in Curaçao. Disengaging allies has empowered China in our hemisphere and the U.S. knows it.
This is not the first time I’ve suggested being more engaged with our region. I recently approached a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to find out whether Curaçao is excluded from participation in the Summit because of its constitutional status. He told me that whilst generally only full members of the Organization of American States (OAS) can participate in the Summit, non-independent states (like us) do have some level of participation through a relationship with an OAS observer country, in this case, the Netherlands. This doesn’t mean a seat at the Summit table but can provide some level of presence.
A second option is through the parallel civil society, and private sector (NGO) tracks that make up the Summit universe of activities. It may be too late this time around, but Government and NGOs should follow up with the U.S. Consulate General and The Hague to look into possibilities to link up with these alternative participation methods. If not today, next time. The point is that we can’t afford to sit idly by when it comes to our region.

Alex Rosaria
Curaçao

Dear Editor,
The purpose of this article is to help a dependent country reduce its dependence on income and other financial support from the mother country to help solve economic problems, but instead organized trade for improving the economy of the country. Trade affects diverse communities in the distribution of goods and services around the world. Various topics of concern are discussed to provide better understanding on important issues regarding business inability to trade. Leadership of government is also a crucial factor in managing some of these trading policies for promoting economic growth and stability for the economy. For more information on leadership qualities, please read: 1 Kings 4:29, Proverb 1:5, and Luke 2:52.
International trade is currently affecting many dependent countries in the world today. This is due to wars between the parent country, investment to tackle climate change, providing assistance to the dependent countries during natural disasters, and the distribution coronavirus COVID-19 vaccines to their overseas entities. Exports and imports trade are very important because goods which cannot be produce in the country have to be imported from elsewhere.
Nowadays supply chains are also affected by huge tariffs on imported goods. Trade embargoes, quotas, currencies exchange control are also contributing factors for these entities. Without trade and removing these barriers to trade, will cause many businesses to close. If small countries do not trade, unemployment will rise because there’ll be no money to pay workers. The purchasing power of the work-force will be also affected. Most people wouldn’t be able to feed the family.
Trade barriers are serious problems for the dependents in exports and imports trade. These barriers to trade usually cause the cost of goods and services to rise which could result in high inflation.
Two other important tools dependent economies can use effectively to manage their trading operation are the balance of trade figures and the balance of payments figures. These figures indicate how well the country is trading, and the health of the economy. A plus figure in the balance of trade is an indication the country is doing well. A minus figure indicates a negative result, meaning unsatisfactory trading result. The same methods apply to the balance of payments.
Many of these dependent countries only have balance of payments trading figures and not balance of trade figures. When there’s a negative balance of payments no money can be put into the reserve account. Positive cash reserves will prevent a weak trading currency and strengthen the purchasing power of the country. A strong currency will prevent devaluation during trading with other countries and also maintain economic stability.
Three important economic indicators are necessary to promote economic growth and stability for these dependents: The national income, the cost-of-living index, and the income per capita indicators. Without these measures governments of these countries will not be able to make proper adjustment to the living wage, unemployment situation of the labor force, and the income per capita of the work-force. When no survey or study is carried out on these indicators, economic prediction might be misleading, and the outcome may not be correct to use by governments or other institutions.
Trade is important for economic stability, growth and prosperity. Countries with one-pillar economy must diversify to be creative and productive. Don’t let outside forces control the economy of your country. Always remember, only a productive country could be strong. Stop begging and become productive. Cut back on loans and other debt burden transactions. The idea is to save in the reserve account. Abraham Lincoln once said a penny saved is a penny own. This goes for governments as well as their population.
A country must manage its foreign exchanges and resources well, repay all loans when they are due to be paid. Regional trade between neighboring countries is a must. The Caribbean has a lot of goods and services to offer. Some of these countries have their own black-gold to trade with others in the region. White-gold is also important to the world and the Caribbean is no exception. The Ivory Coast and Malaysia have lots of it. Oil and rubber substance are the riches of the world today. Small dependencies can make good use of this trade. Many African countries are fast becoming the hub in global international trade because of these heavily dependable natural resources. Countries in the region could open up trade with these rich nations to help sustain their economies.
White-gold is the substance from the rubber-tree used to make tires and other rubber products in demand all over the world. Rubber- trees existed over thousands of years are protected to promote trade by the origin countries. Small dependencies must protect their natural resources as well.
In summary, trade is the wonder of economics. Every country is involved in some form of trade to receive revenues to pay for services and goods it can’t produce at home. Most of the topics covered will certainly help dependent countries understand the importance of trade and the reason why countries trade.

Joseph Harvey