Bonaire
Steadfast Fight for People's Right to Self-Determination
Bonaire is the small island east of
Curaçao, to the north of Venezuela.
The struggle of the people of Bonaire for their right to self-determination has gained momentum since it was annexed and incorporated into the Dutch constitution as a "special municipality of the Netherlands" on October 10, 2010, with rights unequal to those living in the Netherlands itself. This was done without the consent of the people of Bonaire, as if they are a people subject to the colonial regime of the Netherlands.
Bonaire, one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, is part of the ABC Islands -- Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. It is located 41 kilometres east of Curaçao and 88 kilometres northeast of the coast of Venezuela. Its population in 2019 was 20,104 inhabitants, and is currently reported to be around 24,000. Two languages are spoken there: Dutch and Papiamentu, a creole language of the Netherlands Antilles. The people of Bonaire, along with the people of Haiti and their Creole language, are among a few in the Antilles whose languages have survived colonization. The peoples of Martinique, Saint Lucia and Dominica also continue to fight to give their own Kréyol languages "official language" status.
The Dutch colonial period began in 1636, when the Dutch pushed out the Spanish, who had begun colonizing it at the start of the 16th century. In 1954, Bonaire became a member territory of the Federation of the Netherlands Antilles (consisting of Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius), that collectively formed a state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The "Law of October 10, 2010" dissolved the federation and allowed the creation of two new independent states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands -- Curaçao and Sint Maarten (each with the status of "constituent country" within the kingdom. Aruba had been given status aparte in 1986). Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatis were given the status of special municipalities.
Through this integration, the Netherlands imposes its laws and conditions on the affairs of the Bonarian people according to its plans of domination. The Bonarians are much opposed to these arrangements, that deprive them, their representatives and deputies of power over the development of the island and go against their interests and those of the peoples of the region. For example, the port of Bonaire was modernized under the leadership of the Netherlands, a member of NATO, to transform it into a military port used by the U.S. Army from which it can carry out interventions against Venezuela.
Bonarian James Finies refused to accept this illegal annexation and abandoned his banking career to campaign against this illegality by protesting in front of the Dutch government and governor's offices on Bonaire for 222 consecutive days, refusing to return home, to force a referendum. After gaining worldwide attention, a referendum was granted in December 2015. The question was: "Do you agree with the current status, which is directly linked to the Netherlands? Yes or No?"
During the referendum, the Netherlands -- among other trickery -- brought in Dutch nationals giving them the right to vote after three months of residency. Despite such manoeuvres, 66 per cent of citizens voted No and rejected the current illegal annexation and status. This result was ratified in the Bonarian legislature as a legal and democratic decision of the people.
James Finies spent 222 days (24
hours a day) outside the Dutch government offices in Bonaire
demanding
a referendum.
The Dutch government ignored the people's choice in the referendum. Hundreds of letters to different levels of government in the Netherlands have been sent without success. Nos Kier Boneiru Bek (NKBB – We Want Bonaire Back) was then founded by James Finies. Supported by the people of Bonaire, the organization undertook an international mission to advance their cause.
In 2016, without prior appointment, Finies; Davika Bissessar, President of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization; and many Bonarians travelled to the UN headquarters in New York. Finies spoke at the meeting of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C24) on June 22, 2016. He denounced the Dutch for crimes against his people, which violate the UN Charter and international law. After this presentation, the group met with more than 20 diplomatic missions to the UN's special committee.
Finies' intervention made public the plight of his people. It has been recommended that Bonaire be included in the United Nations' list of Non-Self-Governing Territories (UN NSGT).[1] A detailed report on the atrocities committed by the Netherlands in Bonaire was also published by NKBB so that a UN-recognized organization could independently investigate.[2] A video was also prepared discussing human rights violations and Dutch atrocities committed against the Bonarian people.[3]
The demands of the people of
Bonaire.
Since 2016, the organization has worked tirelessly to break the silence on their cause throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The group gained the support of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL) through the resolutions of Mexico (2012), Bonaire (2016) and Sint Maarten (2017), which call for Bonaire to be re-listed in the UN NSGT. They were also heard by several other organizations including the 27th International Seminar "Parties and a New Society" held in Mexico City from October 5 to 7. A unanimous resolution supporting the struggle of the Bonarian people was adopted. The next day, October 8, also in Mexico, during the meeting of the Foro de Sao Paolo working group, Finies presented the situation and a resolution of support was also adopted. Most recently, from November 28 to December 3, in Bonaire, the Eighth Contemporary Colonialism and Reparations in the Caribbean symposium was held, which was a success.
Eighth Contemporary Colonialism and
Reparations Symposium in the Caribbean from November 28 to
December 3,
2023
A people's right to be -- encompassing the right to exist, to live and to decide on all questions that concern them -- is an inalienable right for all peoples of the world, whether large or small. The people of Bonaire deserve everyone's support.
All Out to Support the Courageous
Struggle of the Bonarian People for
Their Right to Self-Determination!
This article was published in
Volume 53
Number 12 - December 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/M5301217.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca