Companies on Bonaire still fear further price increases because the minimum wage and benefits will increase sharply in January and July. Now consumer association Unkobon and trade union Usibo are also raising the alarm. The House of Representatives decided in October that residents of Bonaire, Saba, and Statia – after almost 14 years – will receive the social minimum as of July 1, 2024. This is done on the advice of the Thodé and Nibud investigative committee. The minimum wage on Bonaire must therefore increase by almost 30 percent in 2024: from 1,236 to 1,750 dollars. Is compensation enough ..read more

All residents of Bonaire, Saba, and Statia will be entitled to free legal help or advice in 2024. There will be a legal desk on every island, outgoing Minister Franc Weerwind (Legal Protection) announced. Are you getting into trouble with a store, your health insurance, or the tax authorities? Do you want to know what your rights are? In the European Netherlands, you can go to a legal desk, legal center, or social lawyer if you have a low income. But in the Caribbean municipalities, residents cannot easily receive help anywhere, except from a lawyer they must pay. That is why, according to ou ..read more

The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) warns of the economic consequences of climate change. “The report is a signal to politicians who mainly think about today and tomorrow, and not about the situation over 25 years,” says economist Rob van den Bergh (Curconsult). Central Bank Director Richard Doornbosch writes in the report that the Caribbean is the region with the highest exposure to climate-related natural disasters. As a result, the chance of extreme weather is ‘an ongoing risk to the economic prospects for Curaçao and Sint Maarten’. “Natural disasters can lead to major dama ..read more

How was it possible that the construction of the CMC hospital in Curaçao cost more than 200 million guilders extra? Former MP Melvin Cijntje believes the parliamentary investigation into this is unnecessary. Justice should look at whether politicians should appear in criminal court, he says. The high costs for the hospital have, among other things, led to a high debt position for the CMC. The people of Curaçao – the taxpayers – have suffered from this, says Cijntje. “The guilty parties have been known for a long time.” In the coming months, the Curaçao parliament will investigate with the ‘Te ..read more

Activist Riddhi Samtani is drawing international attention to St. Martin at the UN climate summit in Dubai. Her island cannot turn to the climate funds for help, while residents do feel the effects of climate change. An international compensation fund has been launched in Dubai for poorer countries that have contributed least to the effects of climate change. St Martin is also such a country, says Samtani (27), but it cannot claim help. She says this in a report by the NOS Radio 1 Journaal. St. Martin was hit by the devastating Hurricane Irma in 2017. The Netherlands came to the rescue with 5 ..read more

Once again there are problems with various ATMs on Bonaire. Several times a week the requested amount cannot be withdrawn, money cannot be deposited or ATMs are out of order. “It is a big problem because there are many people on Bonaire who use cash,” responds a Bonairean woman who works right next to the ATM. “You have problems almost every week, especially on weekends!” Most small businesses prefer not to use an ATM because of the additional costs. For example, without cash, you cannot go to the cinema, market, or food trucks. “It is especially a big problem in Rincon because there is only ..read more

With the story ‘Virginia’, writer and filmmaker Ida Does want to draw attention to the human aspect of slavery. “We try to portray what Virginia’s dreams and aspirations were, what her family was like, and what friendships she would have had.” “A long dream has been fulfilled with this book,” says Ida Does. The filmmaker was still living in Aruba when the book ‘Slaves without a Plantation’ by Luc Alofs was published more than twenty years ago, in which the enslaved Virginia was mentioned. “That story has stayed with me. This series allowed us to further explore Virginia’s story, contextualize ..read more

The campaign for the House of Representatives elections was once again not happening on Bonaire and that is worrying, says Deputy Anjelica Cicilia. According to her, the political parties in the Netherlands and the local government still have ‘a lot of work to do’ to get voters to the polling station. The turnout on Bonaire is only 23.44 percent, the Public Entity of Bonaire said. This is in stark contrast to the European Netherlands, where 77.8 percent of voters turned out. Acting Lieutenant Governor Oleana expected the turnout to double, but it has remained virtually the same as in 2021 (22 ..read more

For the first time, a demonstration was held in Curaçao against Israel’s attack on the Palestinian territories. A group of about 50 people demonstrated on Wilhelminaplein on Wednesday evening. Saturday evening another demonstration was organized. The group has “commemorated all the lives lost in Palestine.” “Cruel and unnecessary,” says Tony Espineira of the organization. During the demonstration on both Wednesday and Saturday, prayers are said for them in Arabic. There are several Palestinian flags and signs saying ‘Free Palestine’. “Stop the attacks!” Curaçaoans from different backgrounds a ..read more

A remarkable number of former students in Curaçao are having problems repaying their student debt: 65 percent are behind on their monthly repayments to DUO. What seems to be the case? They are often unaware that they have to pay back less or even nothing. Very unfortunate and in many cases unnecessary, says Monique Hoogerwerf, DUO Caribbean Coordinator. “If it turns out that the income is really insufficient, we can reduce the monthly amount. Sometimes you don’t even have to pay anything back.” In the Netherlands, DUO can check the income of former students through the tax authorities. In Cur ..read more