Speech Kingdom Representative on Commemoration of the Dead Bonaire May 4, 2024
Today we have gathered here to commemorate the victims of the Second World War and other conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Every year, the National Committee for 4 and 5 May chooses a theme, to which all commemorations organized in the Kingdom can connect. With the theme, the Committee aims to relate historical events to current affairs worldwide. This year's theme is: "Freedom speaks, prelude to 80 years of freedom."
We stand here at the monument, honoring the 129 Antillean war victims. What do we know of their history? The telling of war stories usually occurs from a European Dutch perspective, rarely acknowledging the involvement of the residents of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius. Those Dutch stories often remain anonymous narratives without faces for the islands. Yet, the Second World War also had its victims here. This is why I asked Mr. Boi Antoin to delve into his extensive archives so that the commemoration here also gains a better and more engaging perspective.
Allow me to share the story of the Martijn family. The victims of the war on Bonaire perished at sea, particularly in the Caribbean Sea. Three members of the Martijn family lost their lives at sea due to wartime actions. Many Bonairian men earned their livelihood as seafarers aboard tankers of Lago Shipping (Esso), the Curaçao Shipping Company (CSM), or aboard merchant ships of KNSM (Royal Steamship Company).
From the Martijn family, originating from Antriol, three men were at sea when the Second World War began:
- José Bernardo Martijn was a quartermaster aboard the tanker ORANJESTAD when it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-156 off the coast of Aruba in the early morning of February 16, 1942. He was only 33 years old.
- Olivero Dominico Martijn served as a seaman aboard the TIA JUANA – a tanker of Lago Shipping. This tanker was also hit by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U-502 on the same day (February 16, 1942) off the coast of Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela). He was only 31 years old.
- Dominico Martijn was a quartermaster aboard the tanker Punta Gorda of Lago Shipping. This ship collided with the Belgian ship APETCO II on September 18, 1944, north of Cabo San Roman off the coast of Venezuela because both ships had to sail without lights to avoid alerting enemy submarines. Dominico was only 26 years old.
In this manner, the Martijn family lost three of its members. All three received a seaman's burial at a much too young age as a result of this war. This family's story symbolizes to me the suffering that the islands also endured. This personal tragedy for the family and for so many others makes it meaningful to reflect on the misery that wars cause. I hope that by telling this story, the commemorations on the islands also gain a face.
These three men gave their lives so that we can live in freedom today.
Completely separate from this story, I would like to make the following remark. Because the freedom we enjoy today is not guaranteed, think of all those people who still live at war with each other. But also think of all the people who cannot or dare not speak freely for their opinions. I think of the societal pressure people experience, preventing them from expressing their opinions or only doing so anonymously on social media.
On this special day for me, I also think about the human rights that are violated every day. The rights and freedoms we experience are extraordinary, especially for those who still have to fight for them daily and live in fear. Let us all make an effort to discuss our differences. It cannot be that people with different opinions are not heard. It cannot and should not be that people who look different or behave differently are not accepted or heard.
Our islands consist of a diverse community, diversity being a great asset where we can and must strengthen each other. Here, we live in freedom to have a different opinion or to be different. Let us take a moment on a day like today to reflect on the fact that this apparently normal for us. But it is extraordinary for all those people around the world who still fight for that peace, freedom, or those human rights.
I hope that today, the war has been given a Bonairian face with the story of the Martijn family. For them, the scars will always be tangible. They have contributed to the freedom that we will celebrate together tomorrow. Let us remember today with the thought of all those who have given their lives for our freedom. Peace and freedom are not guaranteed. We must continue to work on them together. We do this through today's commemoration, but even more importantly, we must work on them together daily. Let us remember together in solidarity, each with our own memories and thoughts.
