Kralendijk, Bonaire:--- As a proud inhabitant of Bonaire, I, Dr. Willem A. Cecilia, feel compelled to publicly denounce the false and misleading claims recently published by James Finies of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization in the Saint Martin News Network.
These claims, suggesting that Bonaire must be relisted as a non-self-governing territory and alleging Dutch "colonial manipulation," completely misrepresent the political, legal, and historical facts about Bonaire's status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
As documented by legal scholar Dr. S. Hillebrink in Political Decolonization and Self-Determination: The Case of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (2007), Bonaire’s right to self-determination was formally recognized in the early 1980s and continues to be protected under international law, including the United Nations Charter and General Assembly Resolutions 1514, 1541, and 2625.
Bonaire’s people have the right to shape their political status through democratic means. Our current constitutional status is not the result of colonial domination, but of a negotiated and recognized expression of self-government. That said, it is important to be honest: our situation is not perfect. Much work remains to be done to achieve true equality with the citizens of the European part of the Netherlands.
We continue to face challenges in ensuring that the same level of social, economic, legal, and political rights enjoyed in the Dutch continent are fully and fairly extended to Bonaire. However, this ongoing struggle for equality must be based on facts, constructive dialogue, and democratic principles, not misinformation and divisive rhetoric.
It is entirely false and legally unsound to argue that Bonaire should be returned to the list of non-self-governing territories. As Hillebrink explains, international law does not permit unilateral relisting where a full measure of self-government has already been achieved.
The portrayal of Dutch Special Envoy Edison Rijna at the upcoming Global Sustainable Island Summit (GSIS) as a "colonial manipulator" is equally misleading. While criticisms can be made of any political representative, it is wrong to depict legitimate climate advocacy and island cooperation efforts as deceit. Although Bonaire may not lie in the hurricane belt, we face real environmental challenges, including drought, freshwater scarcity, and a sea level rise that will cause permanent inundation of parts of the low-lying nature reserves of the saliñas, Lac Bay, and Klein Bonaire. And coral reef degradation, which is an issues that demand responsible engagement with international partners.
Furthermore, inflammatory accusations about "forced euthanasia" laws, cultural destruction, and demographic manipulation are grossly exaggerated and lack credible evidence.
Real challenges exist — in governance, education, and healthcare — but these require honest dialogue and grounded solutions, not hyperbole and conspiracy theories.
I urge CARICOM leaders, the Caribbean community, and all friends of Bonaire to distinguish truth from distortion.
Bonaire’s people deserve to have their dignity and democratic achievements respected, not undermined by sensationalism.
Dr. Willem A. Cecilia
Bonaire
