Sept. 15, 2021, Year 28, Issue 16
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Sept. 15 - Sept. 29, 2021, Year 28, Issue 17 Box 603, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands, Phone/WhatsApp (+599) 796-4055, www.bonairereporter.com email:[email protected] Photos:‘Big Papa’ aka Cliff Frans Bikers celebrate 23rd Annual Bonaire Day Rally For the last 23 years the Iron Order On Saturday Nomad Tribes had but that didn’t curb the celebration, and award ceremony and more live music by Motorcycle Club (IOMC) has celebrated planned an event near Rincon, but the yes, the bikers were able to make their Allain Rockney. Each motorcycle club Bonaire Day, September 6, in the biggest area was washed out and muddy due planned ride. received a plaque of participation. way possible with a motorcycle rally. to rain. To solve the problem, Orlando Island Bikers were in charge of the The biker rally puts a lot of money into And this year was no exception even made some calls to get approval for a Sunday event Soup Mania. Every type Bonaire’s economy at the resorts, hotels, with covid restrictions in place. The change of venue to the powers that be, of soup imaginable was sold with nota- restaurants and gas stations. And after a rally ran from September 3 – 6. For four namely the acting Lt. Gov. Nolly Oleana ble favorites being funchi and a seafood tough one and half years of covid restric- days the roads and the streets echoed and OLB heads. platter. An evening ride ended the day. tions the rally worked some magic on with the hum of 220 motorcycles with A spot between the sports complex and On Bonaire Day the bikers began the Bonaire Day, for not just the bikers, but many flying Bonaire’s beautiful flag in Ackerman’s Auto was selected and the day with breakfast at Jasmin Garden and for the residents. celebration. area was quickly closed off to allow only then a long ride to Rincon stopping at “Everyone was happy and satisfied One spectator said, “They passed rally registered guests. Facemasks were Rose Inn for a three station buffet lunch and I am totally satisfied. I received only through my home street, What a sight!” distributed to keep everyone safe and the to prevent crowding. good comments from everyone. There And what a celebration. crowd was closely monitored to com- The day ended at RentoFun with an was no fighting or no disturbances and Two containers of 40 bikes came from ply with covid rules. It rained all day we helped the local businesses,” said Aruba and four containers holding 58 Orlando, “Local people that don’t even bikes arrived from Curaçao. The remain- know me sent texts to thank me for invit- ing 122 bikes were from Bonaire’s local ing the guys.” riders. Orlando was quick to point out that Orlando Francisco of Rentofun, key he was not the only one responsible. He organizer of IOMC’s bike rally, said, emphasized, “We made it happen, the “It was a big positive vibe for everyone. IOMC and other clubs.” He added that Friendship was the vibe and everything many people were involved without get- was so positive.” ting anything in return monetarily. The rally was broken up into events The riders traveling from Aruba and organized by three clubs on the island: Curaçao paid their dues to enjoy the 23rd IOMC, Nomads Tribe and Island Bikers. Annual Bonaire Day rally. They were After the initial unloading of bikes and required to have two covid tests at $150 registration, everyone hit the road for a bucks each; flights were approximate- warmup ride and then some live music ly $180; discounted hotels were $100 a by Allain Rockney of Aruba back at the day; shipping the bike was $300 and with other expenses like gas etc., each person home base of Rentofun. Overview of the bikes traveling through Karpata on spent about $1300. Julie Morgan one of their four rides during the rally. Foodie’s Guide Bonaire page 9 FLOTSAM and This Week’s Stories JETSAM Motor bike rally; Bonaire Flag Day 1 B for Bagel 3 OLB 2022 budget OLB rebuts Cft’s Covid roundup 5 Corendon buys rooms 6 Rijna’s IUCN speech 7 announced, reviews mixed budget criticisms Funrace winners 8 The OLB has published its 2022 budget in a new visual for- The Financial Supervision Board (Cft) leveled several criti- Sunfish World sailors practice 8 mat that is easier for the general public to interpret. The con- cisms against Bonaire’s recently submitted 2022 draft budget. Road repairs 10 tents have been both lauded and criticized. The highlights of Stung by the disparagement, the OLB has accused the Cft of Ombudsman hours 10 the “balanced” budget are in USD $ million: failure to acknowledge many improvements in financial man- Sushi Dushi Challenge 11 Bonaire anthem revised 15 agement achieved by the OLB in recent years, often in direct Income 61.9 WEB nears 100% capacity 15 response to Cft stipulations. The OLB cited a number of its Expenditures 63.9 financial management accomplishments and pointed out they The Reporter online Shortfall 1.97 (covered from Cash Reserves) fulfilled specific criteria declared by the Cft. Covid-19 breaking news + Full Funrace The Income projections are based on three expectations: the For instance, this year’s budget submission met several ma- results economic recovery that began in mid-2021 will continue into jor Cft requirements that used to be ignored. The Executive 2022; the new tourist tax will raise substantial revenues; and Council (BC) submitted the 2022 draft budget to the Island Departments a catch-up in building permits and the issuance of additional Council by the legally mandated date. The draft was also ac- Flotsam & Jetsam: OLB budget; land for development will yield increased income. companied by the required responses of the CFT and the BC. Galileo visit; Thijs Verheul Fire chief; The OLB says the projection of Expenditures reflects its As another examples, the OLB points out that in 2019 the Cft Winair flying 2 commitment to meeting the agreed priorities in the Adminis- identified 500 objections to items in previous financial docu- Who’s Who in The Reporter 2 trative Program and Administrative Agreement in 2022 and the mentation, all of which have now been fully settled. Ask Kate (Silent listings) 4 Police Report 4 coming years and to continue improving services to citizens. The figures in the 2022 draft budget were linked to the poli- The priorities here are: Letters (Wrong photo in Arrivals BIA; cy intentions and priorities of the OLB, as the Cft had stipulat- Travel with your sedula; Potholes; • Road refurbishment ed, helping assure the budgeted funds do in fact get spent, and Bachelors Beach 5 • Digitization for the right reasons. According to the OLB, the Cft itself had Reef Glimpses: (Coral growth & damage) 6 Dining guide 9 • Organization development recommended that the BC draw USD two million from the general reserves to make up the budget deficit, a step the Cft People in Charge: Hennyson Thielman 10 • Social security benchmark now supports only conditionally. The Cft criticized the Exec- What’s Happening (Cruise ships; Coral • Recovery of the economy utive Council for failing to perform an extensive risk analysis, spawning; Book Market) 12 Business Directory 14 even though the OLB had informed the Cft that an expert had • Secure fuel supply Making Bonaire “Accessible” 13 In the estimation of the Besreporter, the new budget is well been hired and was already working on the analysis. Creating Optimal Health (Sun) 13 presented in a graphic form the public will understand. It also A disinterest in financial accountability was deeply embed- Ask a Geek: (Backups) 13 believes the budget offers realistic estimates of government ded in the previous style of governance. When responding the Pets of the Week (Grace dog; Katerina cat) 15 income and expenditures. And the news source approves of Cft’s complaints, the OLB cited many examples of brick-by- Shelter (Book fair & Flea Market) 15 A Garden? (Rain) 16 the OLB plan to make up the income shortfall by dipping into brick creation of new financial management competencies and Poem: What is friendship? 16 Bonaire’s healthy general reserve, which amounts to USD 36.6 in within Bonaire’s government. DMR million. How to Find Us: The College for Financial Supervision (Cft) is not that pos- Read us online: https://bonairereporter.com itive about the draft 2022 budget. For example, it feels the f:https://www.Facebook.com/TheBonaireRe- OLB’s projected income from tourism, which is more than the porter/ island was collecting from tourism before the start of the co- Available in 50 locations rona pandemic, is too optimistic. The Cft also questions the Printed every two weeks income predicted from changes in the government’s land poli- Next edition: September 29, 2021 cy and land remission policy. It says those projections are pre- Contributors’ Deadline September 24, 2021 mature because the Island Council has not yet created a land Stories, tips, questions, ideas & ads: policy. Phone (+599)796 4055 The Cft continues to be concerned about the overall Finan- Email: [email protected] cial Management at the Public Entity. Cft has declared repeat- Address: Box 603, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. edly that the overall Financial Management of the Government of Bonaire should be improved. Although last year the Gov- The Bonaire Reporter Staff: Julie Morgan, Publisher ernment hired, for $400,000, a so called “change-team” to cre- Production: Barbara Lockwood ate a good financial management structure, the Cft sees little Contributors: Angliet Baidjoe, Ria Evers-Dokter, improvement so far. Lieutenant Governor Edison Rijna visited the Galileo Reference Dee Scarr, Brian Niessen, Jane Madden-Disko, Julianka Clarenda, Don M.