Is Dutch interest in controlling Curacao's gas and oil the true reason behind bringing down the government in Curacao?

PS Leader Helmin Wiels Insists That The Netherlands 

Is After Curacao’s Natural Resources

WILLEMSTAD – Political party Pueblo Soberano and member of parliament Helmin Wiels insists that the Netherlands wanted the fall of the government because they have interest in Curacao’s gas and oil.

During a press conference, the leader brought forth some documents to indicate that there must be natural resources in the waters of Curacao. According to Wiels there are different treaties signed by the Netherlands at the United Nations which states that natural resources must be for the people and not for third parties. In 1978 this treaty was ratified in the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.

Wiels said that the war against Government Schotte was for these natural resources in the region. According to studies, it was indicated that there could be gas and oil in the waters south of Curacao and Bonaire. Since 2007, Emily de Jongh-Elhage (former prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles and current leader of the political party PAR) knew that Bonaire will become part of the Netherlands, and still they divided the natural resources between the other former Netherlands Antilles islands.

It was decided to divide the natural resources in the following way: Federal (form Netherlands Antilles) 35%, and the island territories Bonaire and Curacao 65% together. This division is the same as Saba bank in which the Federal government gets 35% and the islands (Sint Maarten, Saba and Statia) 65%. Wiels continued explaining that at the moment when the shares are divided, Bonaire in its new status will get another 7%. Thus Bonaire will get the same share as Curacao and it is known that in Bonaire, it’s the Netherlands which is ruling the country, and that means that it is the Netherlands which will handle the natural resources.

Wiels continued explaining that there is something strange, Mr. Etienne Ys, when he was prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles, signed with different multi nationals to deal with the natural resources. One of them was Murphy Overseas Ventures Inc. which belongs to Ansari. Ys signed a five year contract. This contract which was prolonged and expired in 2011 and was not signed again.

After Ys resigned from the government, he was employed at one of Ansari’s companies which bought a local insurance company and a private bank.

According to Wiels, in the sale of these two companies, Mr. Tromp (President Central Bank) and Mr. Ralph Anthony (KPMG) played a very important role. With this, PS wants to show that the Netherlands played an important role in the fall of the government.

Climate Change is an existential threat to many Pacific countries

Climate Change Hits Pacific Islands

                INTER PRESS SERVICE

By Catherine Wilson

Kiribati climate activist Wanita Limpus in Brisbane. Credit: Catherine Wilson/IPS

BRISBANE, Australia, Oct 1 2012 (IPS) - Climate activist Wanita Limpus, from the low-lying island nation of Kiribati in the Central Pacific Ocean, says the outcome of the Rio+20 Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June was a serious letdown for small, developing island states. 

Half of the 10 million people of the Pacific islands reside within 1.5 km of the coastline, and Limpus stressed that climate change and rising sea levels were not a prediction but a reality threatening human security now. 

Kiribati, with a population of over 100,000, comprises a coral island and 32 atolls that are 1-3 m above sea level. 

“I couldn’t believe it. Did they (world leaders at Rio) really care about these small islands?” Limpus questioned during an interview with IPS in Brisbane. “It didn’t seem to be on their agenda. What can you do? Who is going to listen?” 

Sustainable habitation on Kiribati is jeopardised by the sea that has risen on average 1-4 mm per year since 1993, and overcrowding it with a population density reaching 15,000 people per sq km. 

Limpus campaigns for greater public awareness and action on climate change and received a 2010 Peace Women Award from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in Australia. She is from Betio village on the main island of Tarawa, which has an average land width of 450 m. 

“I am not a scientist, but I have witnessed what is happening there,” Limpus said. “Climate change is a reality people live with which influences their culture, way of life, their connection with their ancestors and family land they have inhabited for hundreds of years.” 

A 2011 Pacific Climate Change Science Programme (PCCSP) report highlights that sea levels have risen in the region and temperatures increased over the past 50 years by up to 0.20°C per decade, with the most significant warming recorded in Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia. “The ones who live near the lagoon on the ocean side are doing their very best to build a retaining wall to try and stop the water from coming into their houses. But they don’t have big boulders of rock, so they have to go out into the lagoon and collect little stones to fill up bags to build up their retaining wall,” Limpus explained. 

The report describes the climate of the Pacific, which has the largest ocean in the world, in a state of transition with changes driven by human agency such as higher concentrations of greenhouse gases, and natural forces such as the El Nino/La Nina Southern Oscillation phenomenon which alter regional sea surface temperatures on a 2-7 year cycle. 

The entire region is affected. In Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia, there is flooding from higher tides, food and water shortages. 

In the southwest Pacific, Papua New Guinean coastline is being eroded by higher seas and storm surges, while in the Solomon Islands, home to 552,000 people, encroaching seawater has destroyed crops, infringed burial sites and forced relocation of coastal villages on outer islands. 

During this century, the PCCSP predicts that all Pacific Islands will face continuing surface air and sea temperature increases and rise in sea levels and ocean acidity, which is also expected to reduce coastal fisheries. 

The Pacific Islands Forum, a regional inter-governmental organisation, believes that ‘climate change remains the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific’ and last year initiated the biennial Pacific climate change roundtable to co-ordinate regional dialogue and action. 

Most Pacific islands are also developing climate change strategies at the national level. 

The Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD) at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, which conducts climate monitoring across the region and adaptation projects in rural communities, emphasised the importance of traditional knowledge of managing ecosystems. 

“Community livelihoods are dependent on the traditional knowledge which the community uses constantly to survive in the natural environment,” a spokesperson for the centre told IPS. “It forms the basis for all adaptation and mitigation strategies.” 

Building climate resilience at the community level has been successful. In the village of Navukailagi on the island of Gau, Fiji, where there is severe coastal erosion, PACE-SD assisted with the construction of a groyne to stop flooding and a mangrove seedling nursery for planting a protective coastline forest. 

“A recent visit a month ago to this site confirmed that the shoreline had been enhanced and villagers are able to replant vegetables in an area that was previously lost,” the PACE-SD spokesperson claimed. 

However, Netatua Pelesikoti, director of climate change at the secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme in Samoa, says full implementation of climate programmes was hindered by limited resources, technology and finance as well as unrealistically short timelines for most adaptation projects. 

In August, the Australian government announced a 60 million dollar fund to support climate adaptation in the Pacific Islands and the United States government confirmed 25 million dollars to assist coastal resilience efforts. 

However, the low-lying states of Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are already facing the prospect of forced international migration. Recently the Kiribati government that wants ‘migration with dignity’ announced negotiations to purchase land for its people in Fiji. 

The UNHCR estimates that 250 million people could be displaced globally because of climate change by 2050. 

But Pacific islanders generate less than 0.06 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and are dependent upon industrialised nations and big carbon emitters taking action to reduce global warming to less than 2° C to save their island homes, livelihoods and cultures. 

“You feel like you’re not a human being. These world leaders should just go and spend a month on these small atolls and see for themselves what it is like for our people, day in and day out,” Limpus declared.

                  Inter-Samoa talks

Leaders from American Samoa and Samoa will meet next month in Pago Pago for the first time in six years.

Discussions will centre on immigration, trade, agriculture and the environment.

The inter-Samoa talks were begun more than 20 years ago under a memorandum of understanding signed between the then Governor A.P Lutali and Prime Minister Vaai Kolone.

Successive governments and administrations have continued the talks, which are usually held annually and Samoa and American Samoa take turns hosting them.

The last talks were held in 2006 but department level cooperation has continued.

Officials of the Department of Commerce, the Governor’s Office and the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce are drawing up an agenda for the talks.

*****

American Samoa to host Inter Samoa talks 

By

 Fili Sagapolutele

Samoa News

fili@samoanews.com

Leaders of American Samoa and Samoa along with their government representatives will convene next month in Pago Pago for the “Inter Samoa Talks”, which cover a wide range of mutual issues and understanding between the two sides.

Speaking on his weekend radio program, Gov. Togiola Tulafono says the talks are set for Oct. 8 and 9, hosted by American Samoa as the previous meeting was hosted by Samoa.

The governor didn’t specify any particular matters for discussion this year, but he says that there are some new issues that have come up since the last Inter Samoa Talks and that was a while back. He said these new issues require both sides to continue these talks and Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi will lead his government and private sector delegation.

It’s understood that two of the issues for discussion deal with fisheries and fishing boundaries and telecommunications, which has been strengthened further between the two Samoas with the undersea fiber optic cable, owned by the American Samoa Hawai’i Cable (ASH-Cable) LLC, the company that is 33% owned by the territorial government.

ASH Cable also owns the subsidiary, Samoa American Samoa LLC, the fiber optic cable line of ASH Cable linking American Samoa and Samoa.

The Governor’s Office is expected to release soon details of the agenda for the meeting. Some of the main issues that have been discussed over the years include health, customs, immigration, utility service and border control as well as trade.

This will be Togiola’s last meeting of the Inter Samoa Talks as his term as governor officially ends on Jan. 3 next year. Samoa News archives show that the last Inter Samoa Talks were held in 2007 in Samoa, where among the issues discussed was a joint working relationship between the Chamber of Commerce of the two Samoas.

International sport bodies act as ‘sovereignty gatekeepers’

          by  Wayne Madsen

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Cup-sponsoring International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), both of which have been charged with corruption at their highest levels, have been granted virtual gatekeeper duties by global political organizations, most notably the United Nations, to ascertain what nations enjoy international recognition and which do not.

The intersection between international diplomacy and sports is yet another indication of the blurring of roles and responsibilities between governments and multinational corporations, with the latter a major sponsor of the activities of the IOC and FIFA.

In 1995, the IOC tossed out its previous policy of recognizing national Olympic committees from non-independent territories and colonies. Its new rules stipulated that only members of the United Nations could participate in the Olympics. The rule was put into place after Palestine was admitted as a full member of the International Olympic Committee. There have been suggestions that Israel and its lobby in the United States used their influence to ensure the IOC adopt the new rule, but Palestine’s IOC membership was a fait accompli and could not be reversed.

In 2002, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) adopted a new rule, also recognized by FIFA, which stated that new members had to also be members of the United Nations. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Faroe Islands, already members of the UEFA and FIFA, were grandfathered into the new rule. However, Kosovo and Gibraltar, candidate members, were rejected because they are not UN members. Political pressure, exercised by Serbia, contributed to the change in the rule in the case of Kosovo and regarding Gibraltar, it was such pressure from Spain, which resulted in the refusal against the accession. FIFA also felt heat from Greece and Cyprus, which were concerned about recognition of the football team from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. However, the earlier decision by the IOC nixed any hopes for Scotland, Wales, England, and Northern Ireland to compete in the Olympics as separate entities, a stumbling block for Scottish and Welsh nationalist political parties hoping to see Scotland and Wales competing in the games.

At the 2012 London Olympics, athletes from Curacao were forced to complete as independent athletes under the Olympic flag. In 2010, the Dutch territorial federation, of which Curacao was a member -- the Netherlands Antilles -- ceased to exist. In 2011, as a result of the former constituent islands not being members of the UN, the Netherlands Antilles National Olympic Committee was derecognized and the national Olympic committees of Curacao and Saint Maarten were not recognized. Aruba, a former constituent island of the Netherlands Antilles that broke away before the IOC rule change participates in the Olympics as a separate country. The national aspirations of the two self-governing Dutch territories, in addition to the overseas Dutch “municipalities” of Saba, Saint Eustatius, and Bonaire, received no sympathy from the Flemish Belgian IOC President Jacques Rogge, who, as a Belgian count invested by King Albert, likely has little or no sympathy for Flemish nationalist aspirations, including a separate Olympic team competing under the flag of Flanders.

Before the 1995 IOC rule change, teams from territories, many of which later became independent nations, participated in the Olympics. The rule change was grandfathered to allow these territories to continue to compete in the games. Therefore, there is a strange politically-contrived situation where American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, Cook Islands, Hong Kong, Bermuda, and the British Virgin Islands can compete under their own flags at the Olympics, but full FIFA members Scotland, Wales, Macau (a Special Administrative Region of China, just a ferry ride away from IOC-recognized Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong), Saint Martin (the French side of the same Caribbean island that includes the non-FIFA and IOC recognized Dutch-speaking St. Maarten), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Tahiti, and Anguilla cannot. If this all sounds totally confusing, there is a good reason. The IOC and FIFA rules have been established in concert with neocolonialist powers, spurred on by multinational corporations, to ensure that newly-independent nations have the approval of the non-elected elites, who decide what nations will be sovereign and those that will remain subjugated.

All US territories can compete in the Olympics as separate countries except for the Northern Marianas north of Guam. They missed the 1995 IOC grandfathering deadline and have been relegated to unrecognized status by the IOC. Joining the Northern Marianas as countries and territories in IOC and FIFA recognition-sensitive or “not-to-be considered under any circumstances” status are Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Greenland, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Zanzibar, Somaliland, Catalonia, Aland Islands, Shetland Islands, Isle of Wight, Saarema, Alderney, Gotland, Minorca, the Western Isles of Scotland, St. Pierre, and Miquelon, Niue, New Caledonia, Mayotte, French Guiana, Pohnpei, Lapland, Padania, Gozo, Occitania, Corsica, and Native Americans.

The spirit of universality, long-recognized by the IOC and FIFA, has given way to political and economic priorities. In 1933, Eretz Israel, the Jewish community living in Palestine, became a member of the IOC.

It is a sad commentary on the power that neocolonialists in supranational political and sporting organizations wield in dictating the future of aspirant nations and peoples trying to unshackle themselves from the “new world order.”

WM/HN

Leaders of Small Islands Adopt Climate Change Declaration at UNGA

New York—Leaders from the Alliance of Small Island States’ (AOSIS), a group of 43 low-lying and coastal states that are highly vulnerable to climate change, adopted a Declaration on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly that calls for urgent action to address the climate change crisis.

“Climate change is progressing so rapidly, and the current and expected impacts are so alarming, it is absolutely critical that all of the world’s leaders immediately engage in the crisis and begin a serious dialogue about how their countries can specifically begin reducing emissions to the levels science shows is required to avoid a catastrophe. We need a global response to the crisis at an unprecedented level and that will demand leadership at the highest level,” said President Sprent Dabwido of Nauru, Chair of AOSIS.

The Declaration refocuses attention on the urgency of climate change at the once-a-year gathering of world leaders at a time when international leadership on climate change is flagging, even as extreme weather events and record-breaking droughts linked to climate change are becoming more severe and costly.

“We, the Member States of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), meeting in New York this 27th day of September 2012,” the declaration begins, “Recalling the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming the principle of the sovereign equality of all nations… are gravely concerned that climate change poses the most serious threat to our territorial integrity, viability and survival, and that it undermines our efforts to achieve sustainable development goals and threatens our very existence. We reaffirm the sovereign rights of all SIDS in light of the adverse impacts of climate change…”

The Declaration also outlines concrete steps that must be taken at the 18th Conference of the Parties in Doha at the end of the year in order to achieve essential short-term emissions reductions.

“Building on the progress achieved thus far we underscore our commitment to work towards a successful outcome at COP18/CMP8 in Doha, including the following elements:

“Adoption and provisional application of the Doha Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol pending their entry into force that:

Ensure the widest participation of Annex I Parties in a second commitment period;

Establish a five-year second commitment period to run from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2017;

Establish more ambitious quantified emission limitation or reduction commitments for all Annex I Parties to the Kyoto Protocol; and

Limit the use of surplus carry over units in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol to ensure environmental integrity.”

The severity of the climate crisis, and the unique risks faced by small islands, was underscored during a science presentation given by Professor Sir Robert Watson at the summit that summarized some of the latest research on climate impacts.

Some of the findings he presented included information from a recent analysis that showed an unprecedented 97 percent of the Greenland ice sheet was melting this summer and another that found even if global warming is kept below 2 degrees Celsius, a goal that is increasingly uncertain, coral reefs around the world would still undergo severe degradation from ocean acidification and bleaching.

Both occurrences could prove catastrophic for low-lying islands already struggling to manage sea level rise and for the billions of people around the world who depend on healthy coral reef ecosystems for tourism and fishing businesses.

The current chair of AOSIS, the Republic of Nauru, hosted the summit and the declaration was the first by AOSIS leaders since 2009, prior to the Copenhagen climate negotiations.

Alliance of Small Island States Leaders’ Declaration, 2012

We, the Member States of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), meeting in New York this 27th day of September 2012,

Recalling the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming the principle of the sovereign equality of all nations;

Reaffirming further the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, the 1992 Rio Declaration and the 2012 Rio+20 outcome document, “ The future we want”;

Reaffirming that the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) and the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation (MSI) remain the essential blueprints for addressing the sustainable development needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In this regard, we remain fully committed to ensuring the full and effective implementation of the BPOA and the MSI and we urge our development partners to provide, in a timely and predictable manner, financial and technical support to ensure the successful implementation of the BPOA and MSI;

Reaffirming that SIDS remain a special case for sustainable development in view of our unique and particular vulnerabilities, including our small size, remoteness, narrow resource and export base, and exposure to global environmental challenges and external

economic shocks, including to a large range of impacts from climate change and more frequent and intense natural disasters;

Welcoming the Third Global Conference for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in 2014 to inter alia, seek a renewed political commitment by the international community, be action oriented and mobilize resources. We call on the international community to support this conference;

Calling on the United Nations General Assembly to designate 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States to raise awareness of the special situation of SIDS and mobilize international support for their sustainable development; and

Reaffirming the AOSIS Leaders’ Declaration on Climate Change of 2009.

READ THE FULL AOSIS DECLARATION HERE

Chairman of Curacao Parliament announces parliamentary inquiry

Asjes announces parliamentary inquiry into group of 12

Amigoe        

WILLEMSTAD — The interim-cabinet can expect a motion of no-confidence on November 2nd. A proposal for a parliamentary inquiry into the bribing of several parliamentarians and the governor’s role with the formation of the interim-cabinet will be introduced. Chairman of the Parliament Ivar Asjes (PS) announced this during a 2½-hour press conference yesterday.

The chairman of the Parliament said the group of 12 has the governor as godfather, According to Asjes, who is convinced that the current coalition will secure a majority on October 19th, Governor Frits Goedgedrag entered the political arena by appointing Mendes de Gouveia to form the interim-cabinet. For that reason he wants to employ the strongest means available to the parliament to scrutinize the governor’s actions. Asjes: “Just like the queen he can do no wrong owing to his role as head of the government, but he is not above the law.”

The chairman of the Parliament has a different opinion on the parliamentary impasse than the governor. Asjes regrets that Goedgedrag had ignored all of his arguments. In a document of 50 pages the chairman of the Parliament explained the past events in detail, but Goedgedrag chose not to respond. That the governor now states the esteem of the Parliament took a severe blow because public meetings of the Parliament had been cancelled, is nonsense said Asjes.

“The argument that Asjes closed the doors of the Parliament is not true”, said Asjes, referring to the closing and opening of the parliamentary year. The group of 12 had refused to show up. There was no quorum for the meetings of the central committees because these meetings were boycotted, said Asjes.

Curacao Prime Minister will not yield to Interim Cabinet

Schotte is not stepping down

Daily Herald

~ Constitutional crisis worsens ~

WILLEMSTAD--Outgoing Curaçao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte (MFK) will not respond to a call to make way for an interim cabinet. He made his decision known in a letter to Governor Frits Goedgedrag dated September 25.

In the letter Schotte argued that the decision to replace his already-resigned cabinet after earlier agreeing to dissolve Parliament and call snap elections on October 19 was insufficiently motivated. In the young prime minister's opinion, the governor is only allowing the current majority to retaliate by having the caretaker government sent home under the guise of a lack of confidence.

According to him, this goes against the constitutional norms that create the possibility that Parliament sends government home, but also that government may dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

Schotte accused Goedgedrag of having an apparent political preference for 12 Parliament members. "It surprised me that as a good Governor of Curaçao you chose to form an interim cabinet rather than calling on the Members of Parliament to fulfil their duties."

Furthermore, according to the prime minister, Goedgedrag did not have jurisdiction in this case. Schotte referred to the position the governor took in his letter to government and Parliament, in which he indicated that the correct course of action in this case was not to follow the political preferences of the incumbent ministers, because it involved another parliamentary majority.

Schotte said he found it incomprehensible that it was now all about a majority in Parliament and that importance no longer was given to the caretaker status of government and the underlying act of dissolving Parliament.

Schotte also denied that acting correctly entailed starting a formation process independent of the incumbent government.

"The current Constitution leaves no room for the governor to act without the approval of the cabinet. I think your statement follows the existing political division in our country, while your performance ought to be directed only at promoting unity," he said.

Schotte further stated that he would not cooperate with "any outcome whatsoever in the implementation of your decision to form an interim government" and called on Goedgedrag to cease the formation of an interim cabinet.

Young Saharawis are fed up with the futile peace process

Pambazuka

Peter Kenworthy

2012-09-19

 Issue 598

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/84194

A recent survey carried out by Polisario’s youth wing found                           that over 85 per cent of the young Saharawis polled were in favour of ending the current ceasefire with Morocco and returning to war.

Young Saharawis are fed up with the United Nations-led peace process between the leaders of the Western Saharan liberation movement, Polisario, and the Moroccans who have colonized most of their country since 1975.

The peace process has lasted for over 20 years, but has yet to produce any significant breakthroughs for the Saharawis, who simply demand the referendum that is to determine the status of Western Sahara that they have been promised by the United Nations.

‘But the United Nations has not been able to assume its responsibilities. The current negotiations are worthless, since they have been used by Morocco to prolong the suffering of our people in the refugee camps and the occupied territories,’ says 24 year old Saharawi journalist, Salama Mohamed.

Salama Mohamed is a member of the Saharawi student union, UESARIO’s, office for human rights. He presently uses his degree in English literature as a translator journalist at the Sahara Press Service.

As is the case with many other Saharawi youths, Salama believes that a return to war against Morocco might be the better of two evils. A recent survey carried out by Polisario’s youth wing, Ujsario, found that over 85 per cent of the young Saharawis polled were in favour of ending the current ceasefire with Morocco and returning to war.

‘Young people here are well aware of the devastating consequences of war but they have nothing to lose,’ says Salama. ‘They are frustrated by the damning situation of ‘no peace, no war’, the human tragedy in the camps, the ongoing repression carried out by Moroccan security and military apparatus in the occupied territories.’

Simply waiting for Morocco and her allies to end Moroccan colonialism is no longer an option, Salama says in his capacity as a member of Saharawi union, UESARIO’s, executive office. ‘We call for reinforcing the peaceful Intifada in the occupied territories. Meanwhile, urgent measures should be taken to strengthen the capability of the Saharawi People’s Liberation Army.’

Like most Saharawis living in the inhospitable refugee camps in a dessert area near Tindouf in South Western Algeria, where around 165.000 Saharawi refugees survive on aid from the UN and the EU, Salama’s family fled the advancing Moroccan forces that colonized Western Sahara in 1975.

‘My mother was seven years old when she fled from her homeland with her family. But she still remembers the brutal bombing that targeted the defenseless refugees on their way to the Algerian desert,’ says Salama. ‘And like all Saharawi men at the time my father fought in the Saharawi Peoples’ Liberation Army, ELPS. I lost two uncles during the war.’

Salama was born and raised in the camps until he was 11 years old where he left to finish his education in Algeria. Like most Saharawis, he dare not return home to Moroccan occupied Western Sahara. ‘We feel homesick. I have never met a large part of my family who live in the occupied territories.’

The rate of literacy and educational level of the Saharawis in well above the regional average, but due to a lack of job opportunities in the Tindouf refugee camps and Moroccan discrimination in the occupied territories, most Saharawi students either have to find jobs abroad or work in the ministerial departments or other institutions of the Saharawi government in exile, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which is based in one of the refugee camps.

‘Saharawi students have been subject to assaults, assassinations, harassment and discrimination by Moroccan authorities in the occupied territories,’ says Salama Mohamed. ‘Presently, six Saharawi students have been at Sale prison in Morocco since Novemebr 2011 for participating in a peaceful demonstration. We are extremely concerned about their deteriorating condition of health after they have been on hunger strikes.’

But regardless of these hardships, young Saharawis and students in particular are playing an increasingly important role in the fight against Moroccan colonialism and for a referendum.

‘Students are playing a leading role in the long-standing struggle of our people - also in making the voice of the Saharawi students heard in the [SADR] government and with the Polisario,’ Salama Mohamed says. And Internationally, UESARIO petitions the EU and other countries, participates in international forums such as the World Social Forum, have established ties with other students’ unions around the world, and organizes demonstrations in front of e.g. the French Embassy.

WRITER’s NOTE: The views expressed in this article are in accordance with those of the executive of UESARIO, with whom Salama has discussed the issues raised in this article beforehand, as well as with Saharawi students in general, as Salama has also raised these issues with many of them.

Discours du Président Oscar Manutahi Temaru - Ouverture session budgétaire à L'assemblée de Polynésie française

En avril 2011, le bon sens politicien, l’opportunisme calculateur aurait voulu que nous laissions un gouvernement à la dérive s’enfoncer, soutenu du bout des lèvres par une « majorité » réduite à neuf représentants.

Ce bon sens politicien, cet opportunisme calculateur, d’autres ont en fait preuve, s’associant au nécessaire renversement du gouvernement de M. Tong Sang, mais s’abstenant de retrousser les manches et de participer à l’action gouvernementale.

Pendant que ce gouvernement était sur le front, en première ligne à affronter les obstacles des vraies difficultés de nos concitoyens, ces autres en spectateurs cyniques étaient déjà en campagne pour les élections à venir. Reprenant à l’envi les vieux refrains démagogues, et promettant à tous des lendemains qui chantent.

En opportunistes politiciens, ils ont observé avec délice l’UMP entraver les actions de notre gouvernement, chaque obstacle constituant pour eux un atout électoraliste de plus.

Alors oui, disons-le franchement, nous avons manqué de sens du calcul politicien opportuniste…Pourquoi ?

Parce qu’au contraire du « politicard », l’homme Politique prend ses responsabilités. Et il le fait avec d’autant plus de courage et d’ardeur que la situation est difficile.

READ THE FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT TEMARU'S ADDRESS HERE.

Curacao Prime Minister displeased with Dutch Governor's decision to bring down government of the 'autonomous' country

Schotte Will Not Cooperate With The Formation Of An Interim Government

WILLEMSTAD –

Demissionary Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte opposes Governor Frits Goedgedrag and expressed his displeasure about the decision to form an interim government. According to the Prime Minister is the decision of the Governor ‘inadequately reasoned’. Schotte therefore will not cooperate.

Schotte stressed that the problem lies with the Parliament and that there is no break in the incumbent demissionary government. Therefore there would be no reason for an interim government to be formed according to the Prime Minister.

Interference

In addition, Schotte said that Goedgedrag chooses sides with his decision. “I think you stand firm in the existing political divisions in our country, while your performance must be directed to promote unity. I ask you urgently to cease your involvement in the formation of an interim government. ”

Formateur

Governor Frits Goedgedrag appointed ‘Dito’ Mendes de Gouveia as formateur to form an interim government. Today, all of the names that will take place in the interim government were announced.

Candidates Interim Cabinet Ministers are:

1. Mr. Stanley Betrian (Justice)
2. Dr. Jose Jardim (Finance)
3. Gregory Damoen, MSc, Ing (Finance)
4. Henry Jourdain, RA (Finance)
5. Stanley Bodok, MHA (Education/Public Health)
6. Carel de Haseth (Kingdom Relations)

Governor Informs Prime Minister

WILLEMSTAD - The impasse in the Curaçao Parliament, whereby the president of parliament did not give the political parties enough space to discuss the situation is against the spirit of parliamentary democracy.

This is what Governor Frits Goedgedrag has noted in his letter to Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte in which he send Schotte’s cabinet home immediately.

Based on the basic principles of democracy and good governance the Governor has appointed a formateur to form an interim government. The interim government will have a few important assignments namely:

• Prepare for upcoming Parliament elections
• 
  
• Restore democracy back in Parliament and restore relations in the Kingdom
• 
  
• Attend to the financial situation of the island
• 
  
• Prepare measures to screen each candidate minister after elections

According to reports, demissionary Prime Minister is refusing to step down. He announces that on Wednesday they will have a Council of Ministers meeting to assess the situation and see what will happen next.

 Formateur Interim Government Appointed

WILLEMSTAD – Governor Frits Goedgedrag has designated Dito Mendes de Gouveia as formateur for an interim government. Goedgedrag accepts the motion that has been delivered by Vice President Anthony Godett from the divisional parliament. A majority of the Parliament wants an interim cabinet.

The Governor responded to the Godett’s request by holding exploratory talks with the Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Board, Carl Grüning, Ivar Asjes, Dean Rozier, the leaders of the political parties in Parliament, Premier Gerrit Schotte. The orientation phase was completed yesterday.

Majority

Based on the outcome of the talks and advices given to him, the Governor asked Dito Mendes de Gouveia to consider what opportunities exist to form a cabinet that can count on a majority in Parliament. The emphasis is on the preservation of political calmness in Curaçao and the relationship of Curaçao with the other countries of the Kingdom.

Measures

In addition, the formateur must take into consideration the preparations for the parliamentary elections on October 19, initiate measures leading to a restoration of the democratic system and the financial and economic confidence in Curacao. Also, Mendes de Gouveia must take measures, that ensures an orderly development of the process of ‘screening’ of candidate ministers after elections. Mendes de Gouveia is requested to report his findings by Friday to the Governor.

The 'Black Count' Cuts A Fascinating Figure - A book review

by Drew Toa  

NPR Books

The Black Count

The novelist Alexandre Dumas — the one known for penning The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers — is often referred to as "Alexandre Dumas, pere." This is to distinguish him from his son, also a writer, who is identified as "Alexandre Dumas, fils." The thing is, there is an even older Alex Dumas who, while not a professional writer, made quite a name for himself in Revolutionary France. For the father of Alexandre Dumas, pere, the sword was mightier than the pen, and this larger-than-life figure's story heavily influenced the fiction of his literary offspring.

Read the full book review at:

 Repeating Islands