Letter from James Finies to Your Highness Willem-Alexander and the new Prime Minister,
As the people of Bonaire continue to strive for our fundamental human rights under Article 73 of the UN Charter, I remind Your Highness of the promise made to me and the people of Bonaire during our meeting on November 16, 2013. Your assurance gave us hope, confirmed by a Dutch government letter dated January 8, 2014 from Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk, that endorsed our right to self-determination: “That the people of Bonaire have the right to make their voices heard and right to self-determination is an attainment that is not up for discussion and is fully endorsed by the Cabinet.”
In line with this promise, I protested for 222 days in 2014, leading to a referendum on December 18, 2015, where 66% of Bonaire's electorate rejected the island's current status. Despite this, our Bonaire peoples decision was ignored, and our rights denied.
We turned to the UN, and on June 22, 2016, I addressed the Decolonization Committee, which recommended Bonaire be re-listed as a Non-Self-Governing Territory. Dutch legal experts confirmed our premature delisting in 1955 was erroneous.
During our discussion on November 16, 2013, I clarified I do not seek independence but only to restore our rights under Article 73 of the UN Charter. This is urgent as Bonaire's native population has dwindled to under 32% due to demographic changes since 2010.
We seek your cooperation to ensure our rights are respected. Unfortunately, recent actions by your Dutch government representatives undermine this effort:
- At the Small Island Developing States Conference in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024, our colleague Davika Bissessar, President of Bonaire Human Rights Organization, faced racial intimidation and abuse from Saba Governor Johnson.
- Last week, June 20, 2024 the Dutch UN mission attempted to block our participation in a UN decolonization conference organized by Azerbaijan UN Mission at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Furthermore, we have disturbing indications of wiretapping by your intelligence service, which I requested to stop in my letter dated June 27, 2022. We have faced assassination attempts and unlawful arrests due to our advocacy.
I hold Your Highness's Kingdom Government responsible for any further threats to our safety. We trust you to address these issues and uphold our rights as promised.
With utmost trust,
James Finies
