Statia News No. 20

8/9/2019 Statia News No. 20

1/14

EDITORIAL

INDEPENDENTNEWSLETTER

JANUARY 12, 2010ISSUE 20

STATIA NEWS

Thisedition,Idecidedtogiveyoumyopinion.

Its theAntillean elections on Statia that inspired

metodoso.

TheAntilleanelectionsarenothingbutaprediction

for localelections in2011.OnCuracaomore than

ontheotherislands,butstill.

Thats why for me, it is difficult to write about

Antilleanissues

at

hand

were

acampaign

can

be

about.

IdecidedtonottowriteabouttheAntilleanelecti

onsandjustsitbackandwatch.

For the rest, I give youmy opinion about Spatial

Planning.Themediaattentionthisimportantissue,

whichisaboutthesocialeconomicdevelopmentof

Statia,isnihil.Iheardnothingaboutit.

WhatpartsofStatiamustbestrictlyzonedasagri

culturalparts?Whatpartswillhavetourism?What

partswillhaveshops?

Wheredo

we

want

our

houses

to

be?

Do

we

want

neighborhoods without shops? Residential areas

onlyforresidents?

Dowewantspecialareasforsocialhousing,ordo

wewantsocialhousingallovertheisland?

Is thereaspotwehave toreserve forschools,or

for thedump andheavy industry? What arewe

goingtodowithZeelandia?

Whatarewegoing todoaboutcleanenergyand

allthebigpollutingtrucksontheisland?

Mustwechangeourroadsystem?

Ijustgiveyoumyopinionaboutthesemattersand

alsoabouteducation,pleasereact ifyouagreeor

ifyoudontagree.

Mail to: [email protected]

handledwithallpossiblediscretion.

EnjoyStatianews,

AnnemiekeKusters

Opinion: Politics

and Charisma and

Do What You Ha-

ve To Do,

Page 2

Money is no pro-

blem,Page 3

Statia Spatial Plan-

ning,

Page 410

Links to Dutch news

and Television,

Page 10

Opinion again

Page 11

Ha, gezellig, de

vakantiebeurs in

Utrecht,

Page 12

The Mansion, or

Congo Preserve

Camping Ground,

Page 12

Winternachten,

Page 12

Help needed with

planting trees,

Page 13

A beautiful house in

the historical core,

Page 13

Links

Page 14


2/14

PAGE 2 OPINION STATIA NEWS

Joshua,thecriticalvoiceintheDP,thinksthereisonlyoneissue

Statiacanstillfightfor.Thatbeingthebacklogtaxes.Hesays

itsnotfairthatgovernmenthasadebtreliefuntil2007andthe

peoplestillowegovernmenttaxesfrom2005.Hesaysitseven

morepainfulthatthesetaxeswillgotolocalgovernment,who

alreadyhaveacleanslate.

Sayingthis,heexpressesthedistrusthehasinlocalgovern

ment.Hemakesitlookasifmoneygoingtolocalgovernmentis

moneythatisnotgoingtobespendforthebenefitofthepeo

plethatneeditmost.

ThisDPcircuswasbroadcastliveonCTCTV.Unfortunatelythe

PLPdoesnthavetheamountofmoneytheDPhas.Itcosts

around475guilderstohaveapublicmeetinglikethisbroadcast

live.ThepublicmeetingtonightinGoldenRock,willbeon

Statias radio91.5FM.

IhopethisisthelastthingIwillwriteabouttheelections.Iwas

planningnottowriteaboutitatall,becauseIdontunderstand

anyofit.Dooursenatorshookupwithcoalitionmembersfrom

otherislands?Aretheygoingtobepartofcertaincommittees

there?CantheyreallyinfluencelocalgovernmentviaCuracao?

Istherenowaywecanbackoutofthatbuildingalargeprison

withmorethan30cellsforprisonersfromSaba,Statiaand

Bonaireplan? TheDPissilentaboutthat.

ItseemstomethatthepoliticalpowerplayisRoyHooker

againsttherest.Ithinkallthemembersinourgovernment,

exceptAdelka,wantHookertoquitpolitics.Hemustbevery

confidentaboutthesizeofhiselectorate.Hischarismaisappar

entlysogreat,thathiselectorateturnedblind.Theydonot

wanttoseeMr.Hookersgreatestneglect:theeducationofthe

childrenonStatia.

NowIstop.IthinkIamgoingtofollowClydesadvice.WhenI

methimonthestreet,andIcomplainedaboutthepuzzling

politics,hesaidtome:Justsitbackandwatch.

Annemieke

DidyouseeMr.HookeronCTCwhentheDPhadtheirfirstpublic

meetingfortheAntilleanelections,January7?

Hewaswearingasatinfirebrigadecoloredbaseballjacket.Since

itsashortjacket,youcouldobservetheparticularfeminineway

hemoveshiships,whenhewalkedfromtheaudiencetothe

stage.Mr.Hookerlooksyoungandhandsome.Hiseyeshavethe

shapeofalmonds,liketheeyesofatiger,thewhiteofhiseyes

andteethflickerwithhealthanddetermination.

ExcusetheartisticwayinwhichIdescribeourhonoredcommis

sioner.What

Iwant

to

explain

to

you

is

this:

Mr.

Hooker

has

cha

risma.HehasgotthesamekindofcharismaPimFortuynhadin

Holland,thereissomethingontwapenendabouthim,anEnglish

wordforthatwouldbedisarming.

Acharismaticpersonhasagreatadvantageoverothers,evenif

hisideasareunrealisticorhisactionsareillegal.

Likeanywhereelseintheworld,thevotersonStatiadonotvote

rationally,theyvoteemotionally. Itsnotonlythecharisma,its

thegrouppeoplebelongtoandfeelsafein,theclan,thechurch,

thefriendsthatmakesthemvoteforsomeone.

ThisisallIcansayaboutthefederalelections.

Idontknowwhattosayaboutanyissuesathandinthefederal

governmentthatwillhaveaneffectonStatia.

TheDPcommissionerswantnodelaywiththetransition,Roysays

hewantsustogoonwithourlivesafter101010. IsRoytalk

ingtohiselectorate,orishetalkingtoallthepeopleofStatia?

Jan. 12, 2010

POLITICSAND CHARISMAAND DO WHAT YOUHAVE TO DO (PERSONAL INTERPRETATION)

Fromlefttoright:JoshuaSpanner(candidateandentrepeneur),

RoyHooker(notcandidate),JulianWoodley(candidate,headof

thepartyandcommissioner),AdelkaSpanner(candidateand

islandcouncilmember),MaxFortin(notcandidate,partymem

ber,teacher)andErnieSimmons(notcandidate,statesecretary

ofjustice).InthebackyouseeRuebenMerkman(notcandidate,

partymember,teacher)


3/14

PAGE 3 LOCAL NEWS STATIA NEWS

StatiaLibrary,ThursdayJanuary7,Mr.PieterSiebinga,directoroftheNationaalRestauratiefonds,Mr.Ronvander

Veer,memberoftheRaadvanState,theindependentbodythatadvicesDutchgovernmentandMr.HermanGeorge,

manageroftheStichtingMonumentenFondsCuracaoaretryingtohelpStatiawiththenecessarystepstowardthe

realizationoftherestorationofitsmonuments.Mr.Siebinga,Mr.vanderVeerandMr.Georgewereveryoptimistic.

Theyassuredthepressthatthemonumentcouncilisreadytostarttoworknowandwithinafewweeks,thefirsthistori

cal,culturalandenvironmentalimportantdwellingsorplacescouldbeofficialmonuments.WhenStatiahasanofficial

MonumentList,moneycanstarttobespent.

Whenaprivateentity(anindividual,acompany,achurch,afoundation,etc.)ownsamonument,itcanapplyforaloanto

havethepropertyrenovated.Thisloanhasaninterestrateof2percent.Monumentsthatareownedbygovernmentare

notunder

the

attention

at

the

moment.

You

can

consider

this

loan

amortgage;

it

will

cost

you,

but

it

will

pay

off,

because

itwillincreasethevalueofyourproperty.Andifyouareonthelistandyoureceivedaloantofixtheroof,yourproperty

willbeknownbyStatiasMonumentFund.Itwillthenbeeasiertogetanextloanforanotherpartoftherenovation.

TheNationaalRestauratiefondscangiveout1,25millionEurotostartwith.Thismoneywillbeusedtogiveoutloansto

privateentitys(persons,churches,foundations,etc.)Moneyisnoproblem,Mr.SiebingaandMr.vanderVeerstated.

Theyareconvincedthatoncethemonumentlistisinplace, theprocesswillkickoff. Theywerecharmedbythebeauty

ofStatiaandMr.vanderVeerseesnoreasonwhyapartofSt.EustatiuswillnotbeontheUnescoWorldHeritagelistin

abouttenyears.

Thedifferentstakeholdersthesethreegentlemenmetwith,hadonemajorconcern.Doownershavethemoneytopay

backsuchaloan?Mr.Siebinga,andMr.vanderVeersaidtheywoulddotheirbesttoseeiftheycanfindsubsidiesfor

that.Theyfirstwanttosee3or4projectsthataresuccesfull,theyareconfidentthatmorewillfollow.

Mr.HermanGeorgewillbebackonStatiainFebruarytoassistwiththisprocess.

InStatianewsnr.4,ofapril2009,thereisabigarticleabouttheproposedmonumentlist.Check:statianews4

Jan. 12, 2010

WalkingaroundOranjestadImadesomepicturesofdwellingsthatcouldbemonuments.Privateownersofmonu

mentscangetaloanwithaninterestrateof2%fromtheMonumentFund.(Annemiek)

MONEY ISNO PROBLEM


4/14

PAGE 4 IN DEPTH STATIA NEWS

AboutSpatialplanning,Mr.Kampsuggestedtomea

whileago,thathethinkstheoiltankersspoilthe

viewfortourists.Idontagree,Iliketolookatthe

boats,especiallyatnight,anditwouldbeashameif

theywereoutofsight.Theseoiltankersmakeus

realizethatStatiaispartofabigworld,without

them,wewouldfeelisolatedandbackwards.

SincethereisanumerusfixusontheMedicalUni

versitiesintheNetherlands,itshouldbemadepossi

bleforDutchstudentstodoatleasttheirfirstyear

onSt.Eustatius. Thecurrentcurriculumhastohave

aDutchStreaminadditiontowhattheyhavenow.

Idoubtthenecessityofacampus.Itwouldbemuch

nicerifsomeofthehousesinOranjestadwillbe

usedtohomethestudents.

SincethereisnomediaattentionforStatiasspatial

planningandStatiassocialeconomicdevelopment

plan,Idecidedtogiveyoumyviewonthismatter.I

willusethethingsIheardatthepublicmeeting

aboutthespatialplanningandopinionsofpeopleI

spokewith.Iwillprobablyannoysomeofyou,you

mightthinkofmeactinghighandmighty,butIstill

wanttosayafewthings.

NobodyonStatia,exceptmaybeKoosSneekwantsa

golfcourse.Themainreasonnottodothisisthe

amountofwateragolfcourseneedsandthestrain

totheenvironmentitistokeepthegrassgreen.

Idontknowhowitcanbeachieved,butifwecould

getafewcentsorevenonecentperbarreloilthatis

storedonStatia,wedontneedtheNetherlandsto

giveus

any

money

at

all.

Jan. 12, 2010

STATIA SPATIAL PLANNING 1 (OF 7)

NoGolfcourse

ATerminalthatpaystaxes

TheMedicalSchoolshouldattractDutchMedical

students

Nustar,thecompanythatrunsStatiasterminal,just

signedanagreementtostoreoilfromChineseoilcompanies,theArabsleft.(DailyHerald,lastweek)


5/14


Therecouldbeanentrancetothesportsfieldsfrom

Oranjestad,righthere,nexttoMs.Lijfrocksshopon

Paramiraweg.

Shadeisveryimportant,onegoodexampleisthe

shadeundertheTamarindTreesoppositeSpanner

Corner,thisshadyplacemustbesecured:

TherearealotofvacantlotsinOranjestad.The

problemis,thattheselotsmostlyare undivided

property,propertythatbelongstovariousmem

bersofafamily. Ithinkitspossibletoatleastplant

treesand/or

plants

until

ownership

is

claimed.

SinceSt.Eustatiushasatropicalclimateandtourists

stillwanttohike,theyneedplentyofopportunityto

takeabreak,sitonabenchunderatree.Itmustbe

partoflocalpolicytopromoteahealthylifestyle,

publicspacecanhelptoencouragepeopletowalk

orrideabicycleinsteadofdriveacar.Publicareas

likesmallparksaroundtheislandwithshademust

besecured

in

the

zoning

plan,

not

only

in

residential

areas,butalsointhenationalparks.

Onpage3, youcanseewhyOranjestadneedsfixing

up.IthinkthatwhenParamirawegisatwoway

streetfromthecornercominginOranjestadtothe

shops,thetrafficsituationwillimprove.

Jan. 12, 2010


Morepublicspace

FixupOranjestad

TheQuillroadmustremainnarrow

Thisareashouldbeapublicgardenwithanentranceto

thesportsfields.Ontheothersideoftheshopscarscan

park.

Securingshade


6/14


WhenyoudigawellontheQuill,thewaterishot.

Withthishotwater,youcangenerateelectricity.

Youcanalsogenerateenergyfromgreenwaste

andthereisprobablymoretodotokeeptheener

gybillsdownforindividualhouseholdslikesunpan

els.Statiadoesnotneedanddoesnotwantthese

millsthatpollutetheview.

Inmyopinion,EnglishQuartersisthebestsiteto

rebuiltaplantationanduseitasfarmandatourist

attraction.Itmustbeajoytohaveapicnicthere.It

wouldbeanicehikefromLynchPlantationtoEng

lishQuarters,especiallywhenthetunneloftrees

isrestored.

Thedifferentlotsonthequillandinresidentialareas

thatareusedforagricultureshouldbepreserved.

Oranjestadwillbearesidentialandtouristicarea,

butotherneighborhoodscouldberesidentialand

agricultural areasSmallscalefarmingshouldbe

promoted.

TheAtlanticsideoftheislandisverysuitablefor

animalhusbandry.FromZeelandiatoLynchPlanta

tion,EnglishQuartersandthenallthewaytothe

Botanicalgarden.Thepeoplethathavehousesthere

arelucky,theyaresecuredtheywillneverhave

moreneighborsthantheyhavenow.

Onthe

side

of

that

same

road,

north

as

well

as

south

fromtheairport,neighborhoodscanbebuilt.This

canpartlybesocialhousingandpartlyselfbuilt

housesorvillas.Shopsandcafswillappearonthe

Atlanticside,thewholeareafromCherryTreetobig

StoneandfurtheronuntiltheTintheroad,willbea

residentialarea,combinedhopefullywithsmallscale

farming.Theviewovertheroamingcattleandthe

AtlanticOceanmustbeprotected.Nohighbuildings

onStatia.Allthetreesalongthiscoast road

shouldbeprotectedandonsomeparts,newtrees

mustbeplanted.

Jan. 12, 2010


Renovatingaplantation

Inresidentialareas,smallscalefarmingmustbe

protectedandnewinitiativesdeveloped.

CattleontheAtlanticside

Cleanenergy:yes!Windmills:no!


7/14


Oppositethesportshallthatisbeingbuiltnow,the

planistomakeafootballfieldforelevenplayers.

Theairport

area

is

100%

sure

going

to

be

broad

ened.Statiahastobeabletowelcomebiggerair

planes,andmaybeevenbeabranchpointtotake

thepressureofSt.Maartensairport. Itisveryeasy

toloadupairplaneswithkerosine,sincewehavethe

Terminalandtherunwayismoreconvenientthan

therunwayofSt.Maarten,therearenomountains

intheway:

TheleftsideoftheQuillroadmustbeprotected.

Mostofthissideoftheroadisawallthathasbeen

heresinceages.Thiswallwasbuilttomanagethe

rainwatercomingdowntheQuill.Thebigtreesthat

givesomuchshademustbeprotectedtoo.

Thishasnotmuchtodowithspatialplanning,but

sinceImatit,thetrafficsituationatthebottomof

RosemaryLanemustbechanged,ithastobeatwo

waystreetfromCuvalaysplacegoingdown.

Jan. 12, 2010


TheQuillroad

RosemaryLanecomingdown

Footballfieldforelevenplayers

Airportarea


8/14


likeGrandCase,tworowsofrestaurantsandcafs

andbeachbars.Totheleftaswellastotherightof

thismarine,tourismcanbedeveloped.Theplanisto

enlargethebeaches.Mr.Cuvalaysuggestedthiscan

bedonebyrenovatingtheoldwall50metersfrom

thecoastline.Thebeachsouthofthepresentharbor

shouldbereachableandsoshouldCrooksCastle.It

seemsagoodideatomovetheWaterinstallation

furthersouthornorthalongtheCaribbeanSea.

Onthepicturebelow,youseetheareathatisdes

tinedtobetheheavyindustryzone.Maybethisis

agoodspotforagasstationtoo.

AHarborroadissupposedtogofromthepierthatis

nowinusebytheTerminaltotheheavyindustry

areaonthesouthsideoftheairport.Thisroadwill

gopastanoldplantationsite,thatmustbepro

tected.

Thereareplanstomakeamarine,weneedapier

forpleasure

yachts.

Preferably

in

the

shape

of

aU,

likeinMarigot.AlidaFrancissaidLowerTowncanbe

Jan. 12, 2010

LowerTownandaMarine

Heavyindustryaroundtheairport

ViewonLowerTownsouth.

ViewonLowerTownnorth,

inthe

distance,

the

Terminal

pier

that

can

be

used

for

Statiasheavyindustry.

Thebeachesaretoosmall.(picturebyRobdeWaal)


HeavyIndustryRoad


9/14


ItsprobablyagainsttheDutchlawtohaveagas

stationorashopthatsellsgasbottlesinaresidential

area.Maybeoneday,wecanhaveaHEMAatthis

spot

Statianeedsmorepeopletohaveaneconomicbasis

tobeattractiveforinvestors.Theplanningbureau

hopeswewilldoubleourpopulationintheyearsto

come.Onthemeetingaboutspatialplanning,most

peopledidnotliketheideaofpensionerscomingto

theisland.Itisalsonotdesirabletohaveagapbe

tweentherichandthepoor.Itispreferabletohave

youngfamilieswithchildrencomeandliveonStatia.

Notpeoplethatsendalltheirmoneytotheirhome

land,butpeoplethatspendtheirmoneyhereon

Statia.

Whenthebeachesareenlarged,whenamarinehar

borisinplace,whenlargerairplanescanlandonthe

airportandrestaurants,tourismwillnotautomati

callycome.OnthemeetingitwassaidthatStatia

doesnotreallyhaveaclearimage.Whyshoulda

personchooseStatiaaboveSabaorSt.Kitts?Whatis

specialaboutStatia?ThedivingaroundStatiaappar

entlyisbetterthenaroundSaba,Statiahasallthese

traxesofthepast,butstill,touristarenotcoming.

TheMallissituatedinaresidentialarea,andthe

DROBworkplacedoesnotbelongthere.IfIhadasay

init,Iwouldstartaambachtsschool intheMall.

uthasalargepit.Thispitistoodangerous.TheMall

couldbesuitableforaschoolwithpracticaleduca

tionandaplacewherestudentscandovarious

traineeships.The

DROB

buildings

can

be

used

for

carpentry,amusicschoolcanbesituatedhere,the

radioandtelevisionstudiocanbeusedfortrainee

shipstoo.Ithinkthataschoolinthemiddleofthe

communityisverylivelyandpleasantforthe

neighborhood.

Jan. 12, 2010


NogasstationandgasbottlestorageinOranjestadSolvingtheMallproblem

TheCablecompanyispresentlysituatedattheMall.

TheDROBpitshouldbefilled.

Morepeople


10/14


IendmystorywithStatiasfirstpriority.

Well,thatsallIcouldthinkof.

Annemiek

Allaroundtheisland,morepublicspaceandmore

barsandrestaurantsandsportfacilitieswillmakeit

moreenjoyableforlocalyoungpeopletolivehere

andmorefunforyoungertouriststocomevisitthe

island. Stenapaseffortswithinternshipsareagood

example.

Inthezoningplan,itwouldbegoodtoprotectagri

culturallandinresidentialareas.Initiativesforsmall

scaleagricultural

activities

should

be

honored.

(but

firstweneedaheadoftheLVVdepartment...)

Thehistoricalcoreisatouristasset,butitisalsoa

quietresidentialarea.TheemptyhousesinOran

jestadmustberenovatedandusedforinstanceas

studenthouses.IfyouownahouseinOranjestad

andyourentyourplace,youdonthavetheobliga

tiontopaytaxes.Iwouldtakethismeasuretopro

motepeopletodosomethingwiththeirdwellings.

ToupgradetheMedicalSchooltotheDutchstan

dardwill

attract

students

from

Holland.

This

is

very

goodforthecommunity,especiallywhentheyinter

actwithlocalpeople.

Zeelandiawillprobablyremainaremotearea,inthe

zoningthatwouldberesidentialandtouristic.Atthe

moment,theroaminganimalsinthatareaarethe

mainproblem.Thenestingoftheturtlesisveryim

portant,thehikeupthenationalparkmustbemade

easierwithbenchesandsoon,butfortherest,this

areamust

remain

aquiet

and

secluded

place.

Jan. 12, 2010


Firstpriority:Propereducation

Atthemeetingaboutthespatialplanningtheprob

lemsineducationcameup.EverybodyonStatia

agreesthatthisistoppriority. SinceSt.Maarten

andCuracaowillnotworkwiththeDutchexams

afterthetransition,thestandardofeducationse

curedto

be

on

aDutch

level, willattractparentsandtheirchildrenwho

areambitiousandwanttheirchildrentostudyin

Holland.Smartstudentswillupgradethelevelin

theclassroom. Weneedanenormousqualityinput

andthematterofthelanguageofinstructionisstill

unsolved.

IfindDutchmustbeacompulsorysubject,somust

Dutchsocialsciencesandhistory.Buttheexams

mustbe

in

English,

the

language

of

all

our

surround

ingislandsandtheUS,werewedependonforbusi

ness,tourismandtrade.

Zeelandia


11/14

PAGE 11 OPINION STATIA NEWS

Netherlands has a great fate in power to the people, they

thought itwould be best to give a lot ofmoney and a lot of

freedomtotheDutchAntilles.

TheDutchmadeabigmistakenottochecktoseeifreligionand

stateare seperated in theDutchAntilles.One thing for sure is

thattheCatholicschoolsandtheCatholicchurchonCuracaohad

agreatinfluenceonthepolicyofeducationonalltheislands.

Saba,St.MaartenandSt.Eustatiuscouldhavebeenindependent

bynowifreligionwasnotinvolvedineducationalcentralpolicy.

Theynever

decided

to

do

what

they

thought

was

best,

because

moneycamefromCuracaoandtheonethatpaysdecides.

Todevelop,educationisthefirstpriority.

WhyisasmallislandlikeSingaporesosuccesfull?

Education is proirity number one in Singapore. Every student

mustspeakandwritefluentlyinEnglish.

In Singapore, all politiciansmust have a university degree and

experienceintheinternationalbusinessworld.

IftheAntilleanislandswanttomoveforward,theyhavetoknow

theirfirstpriorityandtheyhavetohavemoreprofessionalpoliti

cians.

ForStatia,SabaandBonaire,theDutchministerofeducationwill

beresponsibleforeducation.Allthisministerhastopromisethe

people is todohisbest toupgrade the levelofeducation toa

Dutch standard. The educational law is under investigation by

theSecondChamberrightnow.

Apparently,theywanttohavetheexams inDutch.Thisview is

toonarrow.Theyoungpeoplehavetohaveasmanychoicesas

possible.

Iheardthereareonlysome300peoplefromStatiainHolland.

Andhowmanycomeback?Oneeveryfiveyears?

EducationmustbeinEnglishonahighinternationalstandard.

AfterthetransitionCuracaoandSt.MaartenwillnothaveDutch

exams anymore. In the future, these countries will send their

childrentoBonaire,SabaandStatiatohaveapropereducation.

Let Statia,SabaandSt.Maartenwork together tohaveahigh

standardofeducationwithEnglishasthelanguageofinstruction

andEnglishexams.Dutchwillbeacompulsorysubjectfornow.

Annemiek

Since this isStatianews, that focusesonStatia, Inormallydont

discuss thewhole dismantlingprocess.And I amnot an expert

either,IhavereadthatthedismantlingoftheDutchAntilleshas

beenHollandswishforalongtimeallready.

Other formercolonies, that is IndonesiaandSurinameare inde

pendentforalongtime.

ForasmallCaribbeanisland,beingindependentisverydifficult.

Why?

ACaribbeanislandneedsalotofmoneycomingintodevelop.It

needsanairport,aharbor,communicationswith theworld that

work perfectly (internet, satellite) and to have continuity, the

electricitymustworkperfectly.

SoalotofCaribbeanislandsaresponsored.

TheNetherlands originally is not a country that has ever been

sponsored.IntheoldWorld,desevenprovincienwerethefirst

tofightforsovereigntyforthepeople.HollandwasfirstinEurope

withanewpower: themiddleman.That is: theman that isnot

nobility,butmakeshisownliving.

The Netherlands is small compared to the rest of Europe and

always

has

been

dependent

of

trade.

Trade

is

not

being

sponso

red, trade ismakingmoney.Weallknowwhat crueltyHolland

wentthroughforthismoney.Slaveryisoneofthem.

But!Bearinmindthis!

Statia istheonly island intheregionthathasruinsoffreeblack

villages.On Statiablackmenwere in trade, ablackmanwas a

captain, some freed slaves were rich, some slaves were even

making money. Free black people were treated equally in the

Dutchcolonies.

In these glorydays of theWest Indian Company,whenHolland

wasstillinpossessionofNewAmsterdam,freeblackpeoplewere

workingtheresidebysidewiththeDutchandtheJewishpeople.

NotediseventhatablackmanwenttoHollandtopersecutehisDutchbusinesspartnerorcreditor.Watchor readRoughCros

singbySimonSchama.

ThewarbetweenthePatriotsandtheRoyals (koningsgezinden)

hadagreatinfluenceinfurtherdevelopmentofnewfreedom.

BenjaminFranklinandJohnAdamstraveledtoHollandandwere

inspiredby theDutch ideasofpeoples sovereignty,when they

wrotethedeclarationofIndependence.

ThiswasbeforetheFrenchRevolution.

So,historicallyspeaking,Hollandisacountrythatisindependent

andhasastrongbeliefinequalitiyandpersonalfreedom.

Since theNetherlandsneverhada sponsor themselvesand the

Jan. 12, 2010

D ISMANTLINGAND EDUCATION


12/14

PAGE 12 TOURISM/ENTERTAINMENT STATIA NEWS

SaturdayJanuary16,2pm,SpuitheaterDenHaag:Howto

bluffyourwayintoSaba,StatiaandBonaire,checkWeb

siteWinternachtenStatiaisdoingthemusicalpartofthe

show.ThelegendaryVictorSamswillplaymusicwithCor

nellBrownandLeroyJames.

IfyouwanttoknowhowVictorSamsisdoingcheck:

WebsiteVictorSams

Mr.RolandLopesandMr.CharlesLindoofStatias

Touristoffice,flewofftoHollandlastSaturday.They

aregoingtopromoteStatiaattheVakantiebeursin

Utrecht.OwnerandmanagerofGoldenRockDive

CentreGlenFaireswillattendtoo.

TheywillbepresentintheCaribbeanvillage,check

theirwebsite.

TicketsfortheVakantiebeursare12,50ifyouorder

themonline.

Everyyear,around300.000peopleattendthevakan

tiebeurs.ThisisthefifthyearSt.Eustatiusis

Promotingtourism.Statiaisvisitedmainlyfordiving

andrelaxation.

Statianewshasbeenfollowingtheworkinpro

gressattheMansion.Thekitchenisworking,

theshowers

are

working,

anumber

of

partys

andcampingweekendshavebeenorganized,so

itstimetopromotetouriststocomeandjoina

fruitjuiceattheCongoPreserve.Ortocome

andtakeatentandcampattheCongoPreserve.

Check:www.congopreserve.com toseewhatit

isallabout.

Jan. 2010

HA GEZELLIG! DE VAKANTIEBEURSIN UTRECHT!

DeputyDirector,MrCharlesLindoandPublicRelations

Officer,MrRolandLopesareattheVakantiebeursin

Utrechtthisweek.

CongoPreserveontheMansionroad.Checkit

out,youarewelcomewhenthegateisopen.

W INTERNACHTEN

THE MANSION , OR CONGO PRESERVE CAMPING GROUND


13/14

PAGE 13 LOCAL NEWS STATIA NEWS

RonnyCourtar,landscaperandCharlesLindo,tourist foundation,areplantingtreesaroundtown.Theyare

planningtoplantoneortwotreesorplantseveryweek.Analmondtreewasplantedbythemuseum,awhite

flowerplantwasplantedbytheroundabout,anothertreeisplantedatthebeginningofSandyRoad.Two

coconuttreesarereadytobeplantedbytheCatholicChurch.Nomoneyisinvolvedinthisproject.Ronny

Courtarsayshehasalotofbigtreestobeplanted,alltheyneedisvolunteerstohelpthemwiththisjob.

Ifyouwanttohelp,[email protected] [email protected]

Jan. 12, 2010

HELP NEEDEDWITH PLANTING TREES

Herebythemusem,thealmondtreeisplanted,thebenchesarealsonew.

Thisiswerethetwococonuttreeswillbeplanted.

A BEAUTIFUL HOUSEINTHE HISTORICAL CORE

Mr.KennethvanPuttenlivesinthedwellingfrom1768,thatwashousingtheministeroftheDutchReformed

Churchbackthen.WhenSt.Eustatiuswasthebusiestportintheworld,tradingeverythingyoucanimagine,a

Dutchreformedministerlivedthere.BlackHarry,theMethodistpreacherthatpreachedintheopenfieldat

theendofthe18thcenturywaswhippedbyoneoftheseminister;Runnels.ThestorygoesthatwhenBlack

Harrywasdeportedfromtheisland,hecursedSt.Eustatius.

Mr.van

Putten

is

proud

to

live

in

ahouse

with

such

ahistoric

background.

He

started

to

renovate

the

house,

theceilingisgoingtoberenewed.Hedoesntwanttowaituntilhisdwellingisanofficialmonument,hesays

ittakestoolong.


14/14

PAGE 14 INFORMATION STATIA NEWSJan. 12, 2010

IfyouwanttoseepicturesoftheChristmaspartyandthehonouringofthefourfoundersoftheAuxilary

homeandotherpicturesfromtheauxiliaryhome,pleasegoto:http://auxhome.spaces.live.com/

Mr.Kampsaysnothing(likemostofthepoliticians)inNova,thiswasbroadcastedDecember14th.Hisinter

viewerismoreinterestedinKampsformerjobasMinisterofDefenceandonlyBonaireismentioned.Clyde

vanPuttenisquotedasacritictoMr.Kamp.Check:HenkKampinNova

AnarticleinDutchthatwaspublishedintheParoolinDecember.JohnJansenvanGalen,whowrotethisarti

cle

is

very

understanding

about

the

doubts

the

people

on

the

islands

have

about

becoming

a

special

munici

palityoftheNetherlands.Check:DeAntillenhebbenrechtopdwarsliggen

Thereisawebsite(inDutch)aboutthedismantlingoftheDutchAntilles,ifyouwanttoseewhathastohap

pen,andwhatishappening,pleasecheck:www.ontmantelingna.org

IfyouwanttoknowmoreaboutSt.Eustatius,pleasevisitthewebsitewww.statiatourism.com ,fromthere,

youlinkontoanythingaboutSt.Eustatiusthatmightinterestyou.

Andofcourse,youcanalsovisitwww.statianews.com ;IwilltrytokeepthatwebsiteupdatedwithDutchand

AntilleanarticlesthatconcernStatia.

Ifyouwanttostartadiscussiononwww.statianews.com, [email protected],Iwilltrytopro

motepeopletoreacttoyour pointofdiscussion.

L INKS

Documents

Statia News No. 20