"...most of all the wealth and richness...possess(ed by the Dutch) today has been acquired through piracy, smuggling, slave-trading, slavery and illegality, with the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors..." - James Finies, Bonaire
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
OF THE SECOND CHAMBER
AND MEMBERS
OF THE DUTCH PARLIAMENT
from
James Finies
Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek
Bonaire, September 5, 2017
Subject: Objection to second reading amendment of the Constitution to embed the BES islands equals illegal annexation of Bonaire and Sint Eustatius
Dear President and members of the 2nd chamber,
We have taken notice that your new parliament in your first meeting will discuss and decide on the amendment of the Constitution embedding the BES islands. The second and definite reading according to your unjust laws will unlawfully annex the territories of Bonaire and Sint Eustatius, violating their self-determination rights, violating their human rights, violating and not respecting their peoples democratic decisions rejecting of this illegal imposed status in their referendums of 2014 and 2015 and violating your own signed agreements in the United Nations. Hypocrisy at the highest level, now you are contending to take a seat in Security Council of the UN , whose objective is to defend human rights of the ones who cannot defend themselves.
Your new parliament should by now be under the full understanding that the peoples of Statia and Bonaire never choose and never accepted this imposed status and that only the peoples holds the exclusive right to self-determination. This inalienable right does not belong to the Dutch parliament and politicians, nor the island councils and neither governments and by continuing the anchoring process you are on the path to deliberately committing human rights violations and a crime against humanity by annexation and re-colonization of these in-defensive humble peoples.
You are at a crossroad now to decide whether you learned the lessons from our common colonial history and do the right thing to show humanity and brotherhood to the peoples of Bonaire and Statia.
It is understandable and we are willing to forgive you because you have never been taught and consciously been mis-educated about your colonized peoples and their human values. We understand that you do not know that most of all the wealth and richness you possess today has been acquired through piracy, smuggling, slave-trading, slavery and illegality, with the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors and more important for us that you have to be aware that the Bonerian and Statian peoples are as human as yourselves.
We inherited and acquired the rights to be as equal and free as yourselves. We have the right to a new beginning, the right to dream, the right to continue our emancipation, the right to be supported in the empowerment of our peoples, and the right to build our own nations. Bonaire and Statia will never be a municipality or anything else in your constitution, because we are nations, same as you, with our own language, culture, values, identity and the right to decide our own destiny.
I herewith object to your violation of our self-determination and human rights by your illegal unilateral intention and decision of annexation through embedding of our island territory Bonaire in your Constitution.
The decision is in your hands now to reconcile and continue the healing process by showing humanitarian solidarity to the in-defensive humble peoples of Bonaire and Statia. You whether give them back their island, their joy of life and their political freedom and equality or continue the annexation and expose once more the inhuman nature and cruel legacy of the Dutch colonizer to the world.
______________________________________________________
cc. Island Council of Bonaire and Sint Eustatius
Government of Bonaire and Sint Eustatius
Parliament and government of Curacao
Parliament and government of Aruba
Parliament and government of St Maarten
COPPPAL
Special Committee on Decolonization of the United Nations
United Nations Security Council
