Dear Editor,
We herewith would like to bring attention to an urgent emerging undemocratic development in the Southern Caribbean. On November 20, 2018, the illegally deposed government of Sint Eustatius will be in the Court of First Instance in Sint Maarten against the Dutch government to plead and fight for their fundamental democratic and inalienable right to a full measure of self-government according to the Charter of the United Nations.
Earlier this year, in February, the Dutch government, headed by the new Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations, Mr. Knops, an experienced ex-military lieutenant colonel who was active in the Iraq war, through an undemocratic decision and action by the Dutch parliament landed with 40 policemen and a navy vessel in the harbour of Sint Eustatius. Abusing their power, they overthrew the local legitimate democratic elected government and appointed a non-democratic ruler and governor to govern the island of Sint Eustatius.
Further on last week the Dutch government under threat and intimidation, if not they will take further actions, within a 24-hour notice deadline forced the local government of Bonaire to surrender their limited local powers back to the Dutch government and are now the same as Sint Eustatius, completely back under Dutch rule. A not-elected administrator or liaison is appointed over the democratically elected local government to govern the island of Bonaire. This colonial ruler, same as in Sint Eustatius, is only accountable and reporting to the Dutch government in the Hague.
Hence the locally-elected government on Bonaire has been degraded to a passive spectator on its own island. The democratic power of the local population has been neutralized by an open immigration policy, increase as high as 400% in immigration of non-Bonerians, mostly European Dutch with the power to vote in 3 months in our local elections. At this rate at the moment, the Bonerians have become a minority on their own island, representing about one-third of the population and are on the sure path of a systematic extermination process. A humble, friendly nation will be extinct within one or two decades if we do not get intervention or help from the international community and/or from our Caribbean brothers and sisters.
These actions, a clear re-enacting of an aggressive colonial agenda of the Dutch to the Caribbean has been systematically kept out of the attention of the international community and the international and regional press.
This letter serves as a serious warning to all Caribbean nations that colonialism has returned to the Caribbean in a modernized institutionalized form. Our sister islands of Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten are on the same path to be recolonized administratively by the Hague. On these islands the Hague took control over their internal matters by appointing a non-democratic supervisory financial board deciding over the islands’ budget, parliaments and governments. Same is the case with the judiciary system which is under control of the Hague deciding who will be politically targeted and prosecuted if not collaborating with the Dutch agenda.
This letter serves as a serious warning to all Caribbean nations and organizations that are working towards a Caribbean unity and integration, that colonialism has returned to the Caribbean in a more aggressive form. Our indigenous local Caribbean peoples are the target of an ethnic-cleansing process. Our land and natural resources have been repossessed by the colonizing administrative power.
Our hope is that all Caribbean nations and leadership will stand together as one voice, showing solidarity towards us, rejecting the recolonization of your fellow Caribbean peoples and
especially supporting the courageous democratically-elected government and peoples of Sint Eustatius that will be in court against continuation of Dutch colonialism.
Faithfully yours,
James Finies, president Foundation We Want Bonaire Back
