"We, the people of Bonaire, will not remain silent. We will fight for our fundamental rights," James Finies, founder of the Bonaire Movement for Change, said during his speech at the international conference Decolonization: Silent Revolution held at the UN headquarters in New York within the framework of the IV session of the UN Permanent Forum for People of African Descent, organized by the Baku Initiative Group, Report informs.
He stated that the consequences of the Netherlands' colonial policy have been disastrous for the local population.
The organization official emphasized that since 2010, Bonaire has been returned to full colonial status, and there is no democratic representation on the island. According to him, Dutch laws are applied without the consent of the local population, causing both social and cultural disaster.
The representative noted that in the last 10 years, the local population has become a minority on the island: "Our population has decreased from 80% to 2%. This is a silent and systematic ethnic and cultural cleansing. We have decreased by 50% without a single shot being fired. This is silent destruction."
He added that since 2010, migration rules on the island have been abolished, and European citizens can settle there with just an address registration and gain the right to vote in local elections after 90 days. This has completely eliminated the political influence of the local population.
"The most concerning issue is the 'transfer' law, which allows doctors to refuse medical care to the elderly after the age of 70. We see this law as murder," said James Finies.
