September 17 to 24, 2004 Volume 11, Issue 36
Total Page:16
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www.BonairExel.com September 17 to 24, 2004 Volume 11, Issue 36 Kaya Gob. Debrot 200 • E-mail: [email protected] • 717-8988 SINCE 1994 ALM debt (NAƒ7.4 million in 2001) are IN THIS ISSUE: figured in, the second half of 2001 suddenly Referendum Results 6 shows a NAƒ4.8 million loss. It's the same Obituary, Lanlan Clarinda 6 uring their working visit to the Neth- Nemo. Their previous home was the story for 2002. The revenue amounted to Fish Tournament Winners 8 D erlands of last week, Prime Minister Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences of NAƒ1.1 million, but if you add the ALM Mega-Masts 9 Etienne Ys, Finance-minister Ersilia de Honduras. debts for 2002 (NAƒ15.9 million), you ar- Ivan the Terrible Spares Bonaire 10 Lannooy, and Justice-minister Norberto There was no release reporting the num- rive at a another NAƒ14.8 million loss. Naming Plasa Machi Mimi and Ribeiro ber of dolphins that have died in captivity at The SOAB estimates the total debts of Mo Dé Slipway 13 succeeded the Seaquarium. DCA at NAƒ68.8 million. Commercial Bonaire Gardner (Salt Damage) 18 in getting a creditors account for NAƒ35.8 million of minimum The decision on the future of the the debt with NAƒ18.1 million of long WEEKLY FEATURES: of NAƒ60 Dutch Caribbean Airlines (DCA) was term debt, NAƒ 9.9 million of that is for the Flotsam & Jetsam 2 million for postponed because Curaçao Island Council lease agreements of DCA's four DC 9-30s. Opinion (Discrimination, combating members want more information on the Playa Ivan, New Balance) 4 poverty direction of the aviation industry on the The Netherlands Antilles Police Board Letters (Discrimination, and for- island. The Executive Council was sup- (NAPB) says the arrival of Mare- Hausmann’s Folly) 5 Police Update 7 giveness of posed to ask the Island Council (legislators) chaussees (Dutch Military Police) will Vessel List & Tide Table 9 a NAƒ105 to agree to the proposal for a temporary have major negative consequences if the Pet of the Week (Elta) 12 million credit of NAƒ 12 million for DCA. This Marechaussees are not put on patrol in po- Prime Minister Etienne Ys Classifieds 12 debt to money would keep the company in busi- lice uniforms. The union is in favor of the What’s Happening 15 Holland. ness for at least three months, until a long Netherlands Antilles police force getting Shopping & Dining Guides 16 About 10% of the NAƒ4.9 billion Antil- term solution is found. help but says this help must come in the Living Treasure lean national debt of the Antilles is to the form of police assistance to deal with eve- (Ebo Domacassé) 17 Netherlands; the rest is owed locally. Since At the same time, the Stichting Over- ryday crimes. A local union representative Picture Yourself (Cuba) 18 the Antilles won’t have to service the debt, heidsaccountantsbureau (SOAB – Govern- told The St. Martin Daily Herald, “If they Bonaire Sky Park 19 more money will be available to improve ment Accountants Bureau Institute) want to come, we welcome them, but let The Stars Have It 19 conditions in the country. soundly criticized the financial admini- them put on police uniforms.” stration of Dutch Caribbean Airlines The NAPB has also expressed displeasure Dutch Kingdom Relations Minister (DCA). DCA’s current figures do not cor- at the fact that the process to recruit nearly general hospital for the region, has pro- Thom de Graaf will visit the Netherlands respond with the financial records and there 20 Suriname police officers has been seem- posed a price increase of 93% for inten- Antilles October 5-11. The work visit was is a backlog in the administration of 2004 ingly abandoned in favor of the arrival of sive care treatments, an increase of 10 to confirmed by Marielle Capello, the Dutch figures. Marechaussees. 20% for lab research and dialysis treat- Representative in Willemstad. De Graaf The SOAB points out that there are miss- ment, and an increase of 11% in hospital will visit all the Antillean islands, ing documents and contracts and that there The Central Bureau of Statistics will rates. According to financial manager is no connection between DCA’s financial begin a survey of 2,250 Bonaire house- Sydney Ricardo, these proposals are meas- A press release from Curaçao’s Sea- analysis and the financial administration of holds on or about September 13th to ures to improve the financial situation of quarium reported that Dolphin Gee Gee the company. From the figures, which the sample the current employment situation the hospital. From 1997 through 2002, the gave birth on September 5 at 8:30 pm. SOAB did manage to get, it appears that the on the island. If you are invited to partici- hospital lost NAƒ20.7 million. The esti- Both the mother and baby are fine. Because DCA company never managed to make a pate you are required to cooperate under the mated deficit for 2003 was NAƒ2.5 million. Gee Gee already gave birth twice before profit during its existence, contrary to what law. All responses to the surveys are confi- and raised two babies, the staff is optimis- DCA Director Mario Evertsz has stated. dential and the results will be presented in The Dive Inn organized an incredi- tic. She arrived in the Seaquarium on No- In the second half of 2001, DCA's reve- statistical format. ble clean up of Chachacha Beach this past vember 30, 2003, one of four coastal bottle- nue was NAƒ8.1 million. But when the de- Tuesday, not only on the beach, but also nose dolphins – Gee Gee, Tela, Mateo, and ductions, including the takeover of the old St. Elizabeth Hospital, the main (Continued on page 7) Page 2 Bonaire Reporter - September 17 to 24, 2004 The following advertisers support of The Bonaire Reporter help keep subscription costs low. Consider them first when on CLICK to VISIT the sites Our LET BONAIRE’S Focus HARDEST WORKING Is On REALTORS WORK YOU FOR YOU www. sunbelt.an SUNBELT REALTY Quality wines and champagnes from Centrally Located New around the world Studios, 1, 2 and 5 Bedroom apts. Free Delivery Dive packages and more. [email protected] Offering comprehensive services multiple locations and ATMs Waterfront Economical Convenient Friendly Full GOLDENGOLDEN REEFREEF INNINN Facilities STUDIOS $48.00 per night OPINIONS: THE Op-Ed PAGE FOREIGN RESIDENT DISCRIMINATION The only thing that we have to do is let the ocean (re)distribute the sand on the beaches that are now partly covered with coral rubble. I bet that within five years this It was discouraging that so many foreign residents, promised a chance to vote on the beach will be one of the best there is on the island. If only the Government would leave direction of the future of their adopted home, were denied that chance because of an un- it alone (but protect it) and let the beach live its own life. reasonable bureaucratic procedure. Happy birthday, “Playa Ivan!” At the polling place foreigners were informed they needed, in addition to valid ID and the voting “ticket,” an original copy of their residency permit (Vergunning van rechts- Imre Esser wege toegelateni). Dutch citizens did not need a birth certificate to prove they were President Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) Dutch, but could vote anyway. Copies, work permits, personal knowledge or other pa- perwork were not acceptable. And to top it off, the Immigration office closed early so the necessary paper couldn’t even be obtained. The official Referendum voting notice A NEW BALANCE only said, that in addition to the ticket and ID, proof of “legal residency” was needed. The need for the original copy of the Vergunning was not mentioned. Why were foreign The people of Bonaire have chosen for a direct link with Holland. This will open the residents singled out in the rules for additional ID anyway? way for many great new opportunities. More than one can imagine. Warm and heartfelt Many foreign residents like Captain Don, Petri Hausmann, and others were denied a congratulations to the people of Bonaire. In life nothing comes easy. If we sit and wait at vote. Despite years of work permits, property ownership, and community involvement home, work will not come knocking at our door. In other words; this decision will not they couldn’t find an original copy or never were provided with a Vergunning. Regard- cause manna to fall from heaven, without our having to work for it. But new opportuni- less, if that was what was needed, it should have been spelled out clearly and specifi- ties will certainly come falling like manna. It will be up to us to make good use of them. cally. First of all, I applaud the people of Bonaire. The opposition did its utmost to scare We can only hope that in the next vote on our future, perhaps to choose for LGO or them with all kinds of spurious stories and arguments, but they stood firm and voted for UPT, the unfair procedures will be abandoned. After all, we can only blame Bonaire option B anyway. Support for option B was even greater than is shown by the actual bureaucracy once we’re rid of Curaçao rules. G.D. results, if one takes the 16% who voted for option A into account. Seeing that the B and C options together obtained 84% of the vote, this means that the general consensus is that Bonaire should step out of the Antilles. Therefore, assuming that the A-voters had to choose between the options B and C (as option A is out of the race anyway), chances PLAYA IVAN are that their choice would at least be divided 50-50 between options B and C.