Honorable Excellencies Mr. Kahraman, Highness King Willem Alexander, Mr. Bosma, Mr. Schoof, and all Parliament Members,
We, the people of Bonaire find it very disturbing of the recent press publication regarding your intimidating questions to Foreign Minister Veldkamp, requesting answers concerning the recent thematic conference on Bonaire: “ Bonaire pathway from Baku through UN General Assembly to selfdetermination” held on August 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan, where a team of Bonaire civil society expressed the horrific human rights violations on Bonaire since 10-10-10. (see attached)
In advance, we express our gratitude to you and your Dutch government colleagues for providing the opportunity to respond to your concerns regarding the state of affairs concerning the rights and justice of the people of Bonaire.
Mr. Kahraman, your disregard of our fundamental human rights bullying questions fueled by the publicly exposed Dutch-Caribbean political propaganda media outlet “Dossier Koninkrijkrelaties,” seem to be creating the instability you criticize. This approach undermines the peace-loving Bonerian community. On our island your destabilizing intention tactics “Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties” already had its effects as the leading newspaper Boneriano and its redactional columns are continuing your destabilizing lead joining you in slighting of our human rights. (https://dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl/2024/08/27/kamerlidkharaman–nsc–vreest–voor–destabilisatie–bonaire/)
As you may know, I am writing this letter in my personal capacity because the issue at hand pertains to fundamental human rights and the right to self-determination. These inalienable rights are natural personal rights, non-negotiable, and do not belong to the Bonerian or Dutch government. These rights simply exist because we, as Bonerians, are humans.
I’d like to share a brief background about myself. I am an indigenous Bonerian, born and raised on Bonaire, with the same natural human rights as you and your colleagues. I’ve had a diverse career as a commercial banker and together with my colleague built a public playground for the Bonaire community after more than over 20 years there was none on our island. I served as president of Platform Bonaire, the only existing NGO platform in the Netherlands Antilles, and I initiated reforms and structure in sports for talented youth, many of whom have achieved global recognition. I commenced the re-listing trajectory of Bonaire on the UN NSGT in 2016, where I spoke in the United Nations C24 meeting on 22
June 2016 in New York. Additionally, I co-founded the Bonaire Human Rights Organization, which holds
Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is an Associate Member of the
CARICOM Reparations Commission and is Member of The Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL). I’m also active in various Caribbean and global organizations focused on colonialism, reparations, and human rights.
Over the past two and a half years, we’ve participated in numerous conferences, including those at the United Nations in Geneva and New York, COPPPAL in Mexico, and various events across the Caribbean and Latin America, all to raise awareness of the humanitarian situation in Bonaire. Isn’t ironic that only after we attended the Baku conference you suddenly have questions?
I understand that this matter presents a challenge for you and your colleagues, as both you and I have been mis-educated or perhaps kept ignorant of our mutual history of slavery and colonialism, which has been carefully camouflaged in historical records. Your Dutch Parliament has been debating this topic since 1796, when your first Chair, the “Apostle of Humanity” Mr. Pieter Paulus, posed the simple question: “How, in which way, can all humans be considered equal?”
Your written questions suggest that even today, no resolution has been reached on this fundamental question. This gives me the opportunity to provide you with some facts and information that might help you and your colleagues come to the realization that the people of Bonaire deserve to be recognized as equals, entitled to the same rights that you and your people enjoy.
Please note that I have refrained from mentioning terms such as discrimination or racial discrimination, even though our situation involves being unilaterally annexed by your government, embedded in your constitution under unequal rights, and governed against our people’s democratic wishes and decisions.
It is important to make you aware that your government is in violation of Articles 1, 55, 73, and 103 of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as Resolutions 742, 747, 945, 1514, and 1541, which affirm the inalienable rights of the people of Bonaire to self-determination. Additionally, several international legal instruments, such as the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Decolonization Declaration, , The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, International Covenant on All Forms of Racial Discrimination, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have been violated.
Below, I will outline some key events and facts that have been ignored by your government but may help guide you and your colleagues in reconsidering your position:
- 14 October 2013: Over 3,500 signatures, representing more than 20% of Bonaire’s population, were collected in a petition for a referendum led by James Finies and handed over to both the Bonaire and Netherlands governments.
- 16 November 2013: James Finies had a personal dialogue with Dutch King Willem-Alexander during his inauguration visit to Bonaire, in the presence of Dutch Minister Ronald Plasterk and other officials, where Finies petitioned the King to respect Bonaire’s Article 73 rights to self-determination.
- 17 December 2013: During a Dutch Parliament debate, Minister Plasterk confirmed that Bonaire has the right to self-determination under the UN Charter.
- 8 January 2014: The Dutch Government sent a letter to James Finies, reaffirming Bonaire’s right to selfdetermination and emphasizing that this right is not up for discussion and is fully endorsed by the Cabinet.
- 18 December 2015: A referendum was held, with 66% of the electorate rejecting the current constitutional status. This result was ratified by the Bonaire Island council/parliament as a legal democratic decision of the Bonaire peoples.
- 15 November 2016: The Netherlands Parliament unilaterally decided to embed Bonaire in the Dutch Constitution under unequal rights, against the democratic vote of Bonaire’s people.
- 1 June 2022: Dutch legal experts reported that Bonaire’s delisting from the UN Non-Self-Governing Territories list in 1955 was erroneous and premature.
Several reports from Dutch experts have documented these human rights violations. I recommend referring to the Spies Report, the Ombudsman Report, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights reports, KITLV reports, Factsheet Article 73 UN Charter Non-Self-Governing Areas and others, all of which conclude that Bonaire’s rights have been violated.
Mr. Kahraman, I suggest you seek further information from your colleagues who have been involved in these matters, such as former Ministers Spies and Plasterk, former state secretary Knops, former Chair of your parliament, Mr. Recourt, Mr. Ganzevoort, Mr. Pechthold and Mr. Andre Bosman and others.
Furthermore, I encourage you to follow up with King Willem-Alexander, as he promised to respect Bonaire’s self-determination rights during our meeting on November 16, 2013. This promise was debated in your parliament on December 17, 2013, and confirmed in an official letter from Minister Plasterk on January 8, 2014.
Because this matter involves higher international law and the UN, I also advise consulting with your most decorated legal experts: Prof. Hoogers, Dr. Veenendaal, and Prof. Oostindie, who have recently reported on the Dutch government’s misinterpretation of the UN Charter Article 73 in 1955. These experts agree that we as Bonaire has the right to be put back on the United Nations Non-Self-Governing Territories list under Article 73. (see attached copy for your perusal)
Mr Kahraman, your government using the “Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties” media outlet to destabilize our community is apparent, as what this Dutch politics propaganda media has been doing on all our Antillean islands, destabilizing all the islands people’s governments, creating division and chaos among the Antillean citizens. On Bonaire Rene Zwart and Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties was exposed publicly in September 2019 as bribery of the press by the Executive Council (BC) of Bonaire, which he did not contest and said he will close down this Dutch politics propaganda destabilizing media outlet site since 2019.
In conclusion, while you have expressed concerns about potential destabilization, I assure you that we, the people of Bonaire, are a civilized and humble community. However, we have suffered greatly under the policies imposed by your government, leading to the displacement and depopulation of our native population that has been reduced in about a decade since 10-10-10 to today in 2024 to a minority group less than 32% with the existential threat of disappearing as a people. Despite these hardships, our sole objective is a peaceful resolution that respects our right to self-determination as outlined in international law by having Bonaire put back on the United Nations list of Non-Self-GoverningTerritories.
Mr. Kahraman and esteemed colleagues, you have the opportunity to make a historic difference by respecting our rights. The debate that your parliament began in 1796 “In which way can all humans be considered equal?” can finally be resolved with the recognition that we, the people of Bonaire, are equal human beings deserving of the same rights as yourselves instead of inciting destabilization and fear to our people.
Sincerely Yours James Finies
