PART OF DUTCH KINGDOM OVER 350 YEARS The time has come for Bonaire to demand equality or to be put in the position that Surinam found itself in when large numbers left for Holland. It is often asked why Aruba and Curacao are not yet independent? The opposition parties in Aruba send letters to Holland whenever they feel the government is doing something wrong. There are many examples of this after obtaining their separate status. Although Aruba has the option to become independent, it is not being seriously considered at all. How would we deal with education, justice, defense, social affairs and international relations? These are important keystones for a society. This is the reason why it is critical to remain part of Holland and retain our Dutch nationality that we were born with, which is recognized worldwide. We have no reason to see Holland as our enemy but rather as an ally. What we need are politicians with courage and knowledge who understand the art of negotiation. After the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles it was easy for Bonaireans to know what option to choose, seeing that we really are a very small island. Holland offered the option to integrate accompanied by many requirements. Our politicians accepted these terms and conditions “under pressure, as they say now. Or was it a lack of negotiating skills or just plain lack of understanding the terms? Now we are an integral part of Holland, not as a municipality but as a Public Entity. Soon we will have to evaluate whether this is the best situation for the Bonairean population. The PHU party believes that the situation is not right. We have a plan for Bonaire that will give us more autonomy to rule ourselves. We want to remain within Holland, within the Dutch Constitution and fight to become an Autonomous Federal State. We want to fight for equality so that every citizen of Bonaire will have equal human rights as well as equal social / economic rights, i.e. the same as in Holland. Is this possible? Nothing is impossible if we all strive for the same goal. The Dutch way of conducting politics is not easy and tends to push the Bonairean population toward emotional nationalism. This is what happened in Surinam, so the population chose for independence. What was the result? The promise to turn Surinam into a prosperous country has not come true. Over 300,000 Surinamese people now live in Holland. Almost as many as live in Surinam. After his death, the words of the former Surinamese politician and leading advocate of independence Jaggernath Lachmon were published. He said the decolonization of Surinam had been a wrong decision . The Surinamese people living in Holland enjoy much better human rights and social / economic rights than those living in their homeland. They prefer their children to grow up where they will have a better future. In contrast, Bonaire now is already an integral part of Holland. The only thing left to do is to renegotiate, so that we can get more autonomy. We can achieve this by becoming an Autonomous Federal State! We can do it!!! When Betico Croes of Aruba fought for Aruba’s separate status, they called him crazy . Well, call us crazy now, but the PHU party wants the best possible situation for our citizens. Go for Equality Now!!! Bonaire, January 16, 2014 On behalf of the PHU party, Desiree Croes, secretary
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 20:30:54 +0000
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