Saba_probation_officer

I think it unfortunate that someone appointed to carryout such important work in our community has marred what could have been a productive and positive generating tenure with such prejudiced and short-sighted words.

While his opinions and choice of words have outraged and insulted our community, it is clearly evident that what little respect and trust he may already have garnered is forever tarnished. Considering the work he has been tasked to carryout, I am most certain he will not be able to redeem himself, and as such he will be stonewalled at every turn, rendering his presence ineffective.

suggest Removal

It is about time that we stand up as one people against derogatory remarks that are being made about the beautiful people of Saba. We are an English speaking nation, even though we were colonized by Holland. We chose to keep our language and it is time we find the proper respect for that. For Williams to make such remarks, especially seeing the position he has on the island, shows absolute ignorance and disrespect for our culture. Such a person should not have any official function in our "byzondere gemeente".

The people of Saba have been multi-lingual for generations. Why screw with a system that they picked and seems to be working well for them.

Saba's "children" have spread across the globe. I have cousins on Saba, St. Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, Australia, Bermuda, Holland and many of the United States (most in coastal states). Our maritime history has kept us close to the water, I think. When I visit Saba and Sint Maarten, I appreciate being able to communicate with family and friends and respect the Dutch for allowing our families their own cultures blended with a country they love.

Isn't Williams a Welsh name!! - and as far as I am aware you are allowed to live in Wales without speaking Welsh or do you think that you should now enrage the majority of Welsh people and say they can't live in their own country as they only speak English. This is what you are effectively saying to the Saba people.
Considering the Nederlands are part of Europe this article was defamatory and racially unacceptable.

Being a Dutchman myself, although I prefer to see myself as an European in the fist place, hoping to spend the rest of my life on Saba as much as possible in harmony with the Sabans, having studied language and literature and having been active in a EU-network of minority languages [among many others) , I felt that an intolerant attitude as shown by a functionary with a – more or less – Dutch background would have its impact on social harmony on Saba and therefore also on the life of all people living on Saba including myself.

The quotes in the article in The Dayly Herald have been checked.
Records from the sayings of this probation officer (reclasseringsambtenaar) have been made.
He even appeared to have said much more in this official interview attended by also policemen and others.
He complained about all those people from Poland and Hungary and all Eastern Europe coming to the Netherlands etc.
All this has been recorded.
It is already a shame that a person like Geert Wilders has achieved a political position as he did in the Netherlands. But to have a functionary on Saba (and St Eustatius) with this attitude and who is in charge of re-socialising people with a more or less criminal past is – in my view - unacceptable.

Saba has many challenges to face in the near future, my knowledge of the Saban People & those from abroad that choose to stand side by side, leads me to believe that they will prevail. Let them not be challenged by the likes of Mr. Williams and his idiocy in this time of change...

He should be suspended forthwith, if not, all can only assume that Saba no longer stands proudly as a part of the great Dutch nation, but now kneels to the Mother land as an occupied territory.

As far as I know any person held for any legal reason or up for trial no matter what the 'offical language' is entitled to someone to interpert what is being said by all parties. How else is a person to testify... and what if the witnesses do not speak the 'offical language'? Saba was not built on the Dutch language and its people were originally English speaking in orgin (Scotts and Irish)... I would also go as far to say that many of the things that have happened with misunderstandings with the changes in 10/10/10 were a direct result of things not being provided in English as well as Dutch. If a language is not your day to day language then it leads to all sorts of things being misunderstood. The probation officer needs to look at the number of fluent 'Dutch' speaking people on the BES islands and then he can make comments as how to resolve this issue. The solution for everyone who does not speak the language to 'get out' is not a solution.... it is blatent intolerance....and a blatent disregard to the very fabric of the 'English' speaking islands of Saba and Statia.... The Dutch were not here first and the Dutch have not provided proper translation of legal items so far with the changes made with the laws yet have they gone in and told everyone 'You Must Speak Dutch' to live here... is that one of the new changes of 10/10/10???? Somehow I don't think so. This new 'probation' officer needs to go to 'sensitivity training' and get off his 'HIGH HORSE' or maybe the Jackass he has ridden in on and try and understand the population and its origins before he makes such injurious statements.

this man is truly bent on using what the dutch man would call "machts misbruik" which in his country(holland ) is a fellony. so you guys be careful and keep an eye on him.

I married a Saban girl 37 years ago and I visit the island since 1976. Dont forget that Holland spent a lot of money on all the islands. If one person makes a big mistake by saying the wrong things, dont blame the whole of holland for that. I love the island and the people and I have made a lot of friends on Saba and so are a lot of dutchmen who speak dutch and english!!

#12: brother - Think before you write something down

That is one of the reasons that the petition was made by "Dutchies" :-) and has been supported by many other Dutch people.

My father was born on Saba and his father before him, etc. going back many years and they spoke english. The queen visited many times and she didn't mind.

unbelievable what our little island has come to..

Well Hurricane season's well underway for Mr. Williams then ;-)

With great interest I read your letter to the Minister following the article in the Daily Herald in which the remarks of Mr. Williams described. I agree with you that such statements are not to remain unpunished.

In light of your letter I would like to point out the existence of the (temporary) law official languages ​​BES (see Annex), if you do not already know about. This is clearly set out in Article 2 put that in addition to Dutch, English and Papiamentu also official languages ​​of the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.

Although this law monitors traffic between organs of the public body and the residents of the relevant public body, like the provisions in the Introductory BES to which you refer in your letter, I believe that this will also apply mutatis mutandis should apply to communication between the national government and the residents of public bodies. As for the communication of the former island is, why not for the national government? It is basically for the same form of communication. Perhaps even this law you are serving your argument.

What a shame that the intolerant Dutch politics seem to have crossed the Atlantic. If Williams had even the slightest bit of brains, he would know that The Netherlands is a multilingual and multicultural country and always will be. This isn't just a question of the Dutch government imposing things and people on Saba that Saba doesn't want - they are doing the same in mainland Holland. Please don't blame a people for its government :)

#18: evelyn -

He is from Aruba which makes the attitude even more strange. He stated to have studied psychiatry in the Netherlands. This is of course also not true. A HBO-school was sufficient for this function.

I think it is highly probable that Mr. Williams, at the very least, will be removed from his post in Saba. With that being said, I think this "gentleman's" comments are merely a symptom of the growing problems, which are surfacing post 10-10-10. While the BES islands have been assured they would not be treated any different from their counterparts in the Netherlands, the great divide (excluding the oceans) between us still exist and will continue to manifest. Mr. Williams has now become the poster child of the intolerance to our culture and way of life, after all in any culture language is and will always be an integral part. For us on Saba, that language is English.

While I hope this issue is dealt with, I hope when the Ministries in The Netherlands send civil servants to these islands, they don't send those who are tolerant. Tolerance is merely the behavior of "putting up with something", but know that after some time, it quickly wanes and that is when we see the disdain and prejudice start to seep out. What we need are people who are respectful of who we are as a whole, and that includes the fact that while many can and do speak the Dutch language, English is still at the core of how we express ourselves. And, what is the problem with this? English is after all the universal language.

I'll say what many of us are thinking. I am waiting to see if Will or Chris and those who pushed this 'special relationship' sign this. They are enriched by this, but are we? What happen to we for we?

#20: Anastasia - Thinking ...

Very, very, very well said in English, As a "Courtesy" will somebody please translate this post for Mr. for Mr. James Williams.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/18263-health-on-saba.html

Does anyone care about this story?

J.W. is just a distraction, "Poster Child" for misdirection.

Condolences to the families of those who've been lost for no good god damn reason since 10-10-10.
Shame on our elected officials, did she misquote herself?

By all means get the sacrificial lamb that is J.W. sacked and we'll all have a party.

Personally I'd rather see that this lady gets the treatment that she needs.

I am so angry to read about the horrible comments that the so-called "probation" officer made about Saba. It is also inconceivable that the Dutch government would send such a disgusting person to the Island. Is this what being one with Holland is all about?

Health on Saba.

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 20:33.

Dear Editor, Please allow me the opportunity to bring forward the following matter of concern, with the hope that this matter now being brought out in the media will receive some sort of attention from those responsible. As everyone knows, I am a person who suffers from a very critical health problem that lands me constantly in the hospital. I have been referred to go and have an MRI done and to date the Zorgverzekerings Kantoor (ZVK) on Bonaire has not granted the permission for me to go and have the MRI done. I am now waiting for the past four weeks and yet no answer from them with regard to me being able to go and have the MRI done. I have also been referred to go to Colombia, since in the month of March, to undergo a cardiology work-up and to date there is no approval from the ZVK on Bonaire. I have even laid in the hospital here on Saba for three weeks, awaiting the approval from this office on Bonaire, which seems not to understand that they are playing with the lives of innocent people. Honestly, I have no understanding why people have to pay their health care premiums and are still not able to obtain the necessary treatment that they are supposed to receive. People have to take pain killers for as long as this office does not make a final decision on patients being sent off-island. Saba is a small island and we do not have the expertise on-island that we can go to like in Holland. I firmly believe that all Sabans got to stand up now and demand some sort of respect for the people of this lovely island. Our fundamental human rights are now in jeopardy and this has to stop. I am hereby calling on everyone to come together and let us make our voices known via the media. People will soon have to die before they can be transferred to see the specialist that they need to see, in order to seek some solutions for the medical treatment. As Sabans, we are being treated unfairly by the Zorgverzekerings Kantoor on Bonaire. I see no reason why the office on Saba cannot be empowered to carry out the duties themselves for the Saba patients, like it was done formerly. Maria T. Cane-Lynch.

I was more upset to read this.