Curacao closing ranks against Dutch reconciliation
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| Published on Thursday, December 6, 2007 |
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By Humphrey Senior
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: Last Sunday mass demonstrations against the ongoing process of restructuring relations with the Kingdom of the Netherlands continued on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
Under the leadership of all the opposition parties on the island, several thousand people marched into the old town of Willemstad, demanding a halt to the process, arguing that this is not what the people wanted, and not what they voted for in a referendum in 2005. The demonstrators also criticised the management of the island by the government.
Despite the travel warning issued by the US and the main coalition party that the demonstration could get out of hand, it was a peaceful and orderly demonstration by hundreds of people with banners showing their dissatisfaction and singing the national anthem and slogans.
After the march, the crowd gathered at one of the main squares to listen to the opposition leaders and to the protest songs of the internationally known troubadour Chin Behilia and the local group Karabela.
Among the speakers was Oscar Semerel, a union leader pleading for unity against Holland. Two petitions have been accepted by acclamation by the protesters. The first petition concerned the worsening social and economic situation on the island and demanded the government to act against the rocketing prizes of basic food and energy, youth unemployment, cost of schooling, challenging equal access to education and children’s rights, and the abuse of the labour force.
The second petition demanded freezing of the constitutional restructuring process and realisation of a broad sustainability in the community to achieve an autonomous status for the island as country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, at least equaling neighbouring Aruba.
Also demanded was the immediate transfer of all responsibilities of the federal government to the island.
The people crowded into the town square at the entrance of the biggest natural harbour in the hemisphere demanding the coalition government either to satisfy the demands or give way to another government capable and willing to forge unity and realise the autonomous status of the island.
At the end of the meeting, all opposition parties of the island signed a proclamation, presented by the island opposition leader Charles Cooper, declaring their intention to work together towards a broad alliance of political and social forces on the island to safeguard democracy and realise the autonomy of Curacao.
They proclaimed their firm intention to establish a representative, inclusive and participative democracy, with a parliament that is not a rubberstamp of the govenrment. To reach their goals they will use any legal means possible.
One of those means is the mass demonstations that started three weeks ago.
The crowd gathered on the Brionsquare made it clear that this is only the beginning and that demonstrations will continue untill it is agreed that the island will have autonomous status equal to Aruba.
This, they stated, cannot be denied since they are using their legitimate right of self-determination according to the UN resolutions.
Since the whole process of restructuring the constitutional status of the island is a process of bringing back several aspects of the autonomy of the island such as finance and justice back under Dutch control, the protestors say it is time for the United Nations to look into this process and make sure that the islands are not being recolonised. | | | | Reads : 328 | | | |
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