Politics



from riches to rags:
Empirialism to Independence

You may not be so interested in the political problems of a mere 150,000 people, if that. Hardly anybody is but we. But all this can happen everywhere, to anybody, as history and TV-news keep showing. Like the funeral undertakers say: Hodie mihi, cras tibi - I today, you tomorrow.

An open network is more important for democracy than the right to bear arms and the right to vote. Voice is more important than votes. - Joichi Ito

Curaçao is one of the Netherlands Antilles; since Aruba opted for the status aparte around 1990 consisting of five Caribbean islands. The other islands are Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten. After the Koninkrijksstatuut was signed in 1954, the AN has been an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in which Holland and Aruba are the other partners.



Colonial History
Curaçao was discovered in 1499 by Alonso de Ojeda. It was owned by Spain until 1634, when it was taken over by the Netherlands. With some interludes, until 1954 the islands remained a Dutch possession as the Colony of Curaçao.



Colony-Country
After World War II there was a general trend to stop imperialism and grant autonomy to former colonies. In an attempt to avoid a second disgrace like the one in Indonesia of the late 1940s, by signing the Koninkrijksstatuut the Netherlands Antilles, Suriname (Dutch Guyana) and Holland agreed in 1954 to form a partnership as autonomous members of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.



Decline and Fall
With continuing anti-imperialism and ongoing disinterest for the West Indies in Holland, the situation in the Netherlands Antilles grew worse and worse. The economy went to pieces while the unchecked political system grew more and more corrupt.



What's in Store



After the Referendum
Sold and Betrayed



Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana, 1905
too bad they force the rest of us, who can see all too well what's coming, to do the same

economy	geography climate	tourism

visit our circus—laugh until you weep

from start to crash	how to get rid of more

some recent Curaçao
political history
it's all getting pretty old...




POPULAR POLITICIANS FROM THE PAST
or the Monster Gallery

Henry VIII	Napoléon	Adolf Hitler	Joe Stalin	Idi Amin

AN EVEN MORE POPULAR POLITICIAN

If you think there have been succesful and, at the same time, decent politicians, I will not try to reason you out of it.
There are 2 (two, count 'em) names people mostly come up with: Adlai Stevenson II (USA) and Mahatma Gandhi (India).
Click on their names to find out more about them.


"King of the Apes"


WWII Curaçao governor Wouters

Any government anywhere is a thing of exquisite comicality.
Joseph Conrad, Nostromo


politician
after election victory

Like they said in the 2002 Johannesburg conference discussions on democracy:
We are your leaders. Why don't you do as we tell you?
New Scientist

A book you may want to read:
Imperialism and the Anti-Imperialist Mind
Lewis Feuer



We may vote for a Boss once every four years


Democratic elections are popularity contests - Larry Niven

"Politics and economics are concerned with power and wealth,
neither of which should be the primary, much less exclusive, concern of full-grown men."
"Dictators are always small people."
Arthur C. Clarke, Profiles of the Future, 1984

"Watch out for small men, because they hate you for every inch you're taller."
Jan de Hartog, The Captain





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