Our Team

A young Professional banker in his thirties abandons his professional career in order to pursue and defend the Right of Self-determination for the Bonairain Natives Because of the illegal status not of their choice and unequal rights that the Natives found themselves after the dissolution of the Nederland Antilles in 2010.

The natives found themselves in an illegal integration of the Nederland’s in which they never chose in any constitutional referendum to date.

Davika Bissessar – Shaw – was born in a small village called Kitty on the Atlantic coast city of Georgetown, Guyana, She has seven siblings, daughter of Banmatee and Cyril Shaw. Her father owned and operated a printery in the legendary area of Tiger Bay. Then as faith would have it that in the 1930’s - 1940s, he moved the printery to his other property on Wellington Street, Georgetown close to the political party PPP’s Freedom House. The Arcade Printery as it was called and her parents, played an important role in the fight for independence of British Guiana. In the beginning, with the atmosphere of the West Indian region Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica were singing the freedom song as they wanted out of the British rule.  

In 1950 her father was approached by Cheddie Jagan and LFS Burnham, the founding fathers of Guyana’s Independence Movement, to print a newspaper, which was called the “Thunder”, to distribute to the entire 83,000 square miles, to every part in the remote areas of Guyana in order to update, promote and encourage the people to get ready for an independent Guyana and to get rid of the British Reign.

Her father was very willing to support his brothers in their time of need with equipment and materials and even with the risk of being arrested for the printing of the Thunder newspaper. In the 50s and 60s, The Jagans and the PPP were deemed Communist by the British although there was no evidence of this. With the country under British Monarchy as a territory, they suspended the Constitution, took over the country by military rule, putting political leaders including Burham and the Jagans in jail and under house arrest. The Thunder then became even more important to the masses. Since this was illegal to do, the British Government posted military guards with guns outside the printery. Her mother, Bhanmatee, through subterfuge risked her life by passing the British soldiers with the editorial draft before publication. These drafts were taken to the home of the Jagans where they were under house arrest with armed soldiers at guard.

Davika was born and raised in that new era of freedom and post colonialism where portraits of Mahatma Gandhi hung prominently almost everywhere. At a tender age of 21 years she got married and had four children and subsequently move to Bonaire with her husband, Tulsie Bissessar, a Ship owner and Captain as his cargo vessels - M.S Keval and M.V Daniella B was chartered by a Dutch company in Curacao to transport containers to St. Maarten.

On Bonaire, the first house they lived was in Belnem and as fate would have it, her next door neighbour was Mr. James Fines. On her arrival, she was shocked to see that there was no playground for kids and found this to be an injustice  to the people of Bonaire who were supposed to be living in a first world country, Dutch Kingdom, lacking such basic infrastructure.

 Prior to coming to Bonaire, she was part of a group of residents’ association who refurbished their neighbourhood playground in Bel-Air Park, Georgetown. She sat down and drew up a plan with the idea of a playground, and the name of the foundation. She asked thirteen persons to join her and established a foundation, We Dare To Care, to build and run a Recreational Facility. With the likes of Franklyn Antion, Daisy Coffee, Anthony Nicholas, James Finies and others, before the playground idea could pick up any momentum because they had no land nor money, 12 members resigned, reason being that it was an impossible mission. James Finies was the only person who stayed on and with Davika, they got the land and the money to build the playground and today the park is standing proud even though the Local nor the Dutch governments refused to acknowledge and recognize it nor finance it.

The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010, and in the process our island Bonaire was incorporated into the Dutch Constitution without the consent of the Bonairean people. Mr. Finies abandoned his banking career and stood up in support for the Bonaire people. At that time, Davika and her husband were supporters in the background with advice and resources. However, slowly the political leaders went on a campaign to remove every person who stood next to him. There were hundreds of people including his own family. Subsequently, Davika decided to stand alongside him in support and thereafter founded the organization, Bonaire Human Rights in 2020.

Her famous words: “Why help James Finies and Bonaire? Because it is the right thing to do.” For the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights, including the right to development and to achieve the right to self-determination for full self-government and political equality.

Sedney B. Marten (5th of June, 1962, Curaçao) is a creative mind who conveys feeling and reason - contradictory perspectives - in the right dose.

As the youngest of eight brothers and sisters, he had the opportunity to move to The Netherlands after secondary school to study and turn his hobby into his career: introducing and guiding young minds into the interesting world of arts and creativity.

As a teacher of Cultural and Artistic Education, Art and Cultural History and Papiamento, he already had the ability to think out of the box, as a visual artist, illustrator, poet and author that became his way of life. From an early age on he became aware of his cultural identity and understood the power of excellent knowledge and command of his own mother tongue. It became the basis for broadening his interest in other (foreign) languages.

In 2000 he published the collection of poems Entre Sintí i Sintimentu, un Lucha, a collection of poems that expresses the constant human inner struggle between emotion and intellect. His good command of wordplay and his love for his native language, Papiamento, is particularly evident in critical pieces about sensitive issues (thoughts, as he prefers to call them) that he regularly publishes in various local newspapers since 2005. In addition to his intention to challenge the reader to think and to make him (more) aware of social developments around him, the articles and thoughts serve as a kind of outlet for him personally. Releasing a selection of these thoughts, a collection of these thoughts, is on the agenda.

After a period of teaching, he was an inspector of education and coordinator of the Department of Education of the former Netherlands Antilles, on Bonaire. He was also a part-time coordinator for the University of Curaçao (UoC, formerly known as University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA)) at the beginning of the teacher training course on Bonaire and study career counsellor at the Second Degree Teacher Training course of the UNA on Bonaire.

He is co-founder and a board member of Fundashon Akademia Papiamentu, a foundation that strives for the protection, promotion and reinforcement of Papiamento. 

Currently, he is a senior policy officer at the Department of Education, Culture and Science of the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland on Bonaire and is responsible for assigned tasks regarding examinations, culture and media.

Because of his intrinsic objection to injustice, in any form what so ever, to both employees and citizens, he affiliated to Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba section of the STrAF labour union, as a member of the steering committee.

On the question of what he would like for future generations of Bonaire, he is very emphatic with his answer: “I want to see Bonaire on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, with a democratic government, as a result of the right of self-determination for all citizens, by virtue of which they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”

It is also with coming generations in mind that he is part of the NUKEB committee that strives to get Bonaire back on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGT).

Suzanne T. R. Thodé is of Bonaireian ancestry from the villages of Nort di Salina and Rincon. Her mother Magna, a career Teacher and Head Mistress and her father, Wilson, owned and operated a construction company.

                                                                                                                                                              She attended the local secondary school SGB Bonaire and after with the intention to pursue a career in either being a veterinarian, a judge or a teacher/Head Teacher like her mother. After high school, she attended the University of Curacao and did a course in “Teaching in the Papiamentu language” and another in Fundamental Education in Teaching. After starting her career in teaching, she was fortunate in having gotten the opportunity to serve in all the different schools on Bonaire.   

During her years of teaching especially in the higher grades, she noticed the Dutch influence in the local education system the changes and the innovations were not wholly

beneficial to the Bonairean children. Meanwhile, she had gotten three children and was guiding them with their education both at home and at school.  As a mother, she joined several organizations helping other children in different areas and again realised that the problem of the Dutch influence was not only in education but also in other fundamental and basic areas of the Bonairean society like medical, justice, finance, economy and politics.

She had said that she learnt from Nelson Mandela speeches that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Why is education the most powerful weapon?

‘Education provides you with the tools to improve the quality of life in modern society both economically, sociologically and emotionally. Education and gaining knowledge is power and no one can ever deny this fact. It enables us to make the right choices in life and to perform our duties properly. It motivates our mind and refines our senses.’

She subsequently accepted that she was part of the process to create and educate a callous, passive, indifferent, cold, emotionless, insensible, unconcerned and unfeeling set of humans for the future of Bonaire. It was not the kind of social atmosphere she wanted for her children and others to live in.  At that time, she realised that she had one more opportunity to try to make a difference which was the legal way, knowing Laws, rights and rules for equality, human rights, peace, justice and freedom.

It was at this point Suzanne began studying law. She educated herself along the lines of national, international, constitution law, statutory law, common or case law, civil law (private law), criminal law and equity law. She understood how the Dutch system negatively impacted the medical system, the economy and the justice system. She further thought that the one main way to do something about this was through politics so she then entered the political arena. It was in 2015 when she joined a party and participated in the elections.

In 2019, she founded the political party Union Revolution Boneriano to give her the platform to carry forward her campaign. 

Her perceived image for the future generations of Bonaire must be a good system, with proper education, medical services, the justice system, finance, economy and politics, the wellbeing and progress of the Bonairean society being central.  

Suzanne joined the recently formed Commission of NUKEB and supports this with the following quote: “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because conscience tells one it is right.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Robert “Robby” Beukenboom was born in Kralendijk to a well-known influential family of Bonaire. Beukenboom’s father, Governor Charles R. Beukeboom, became one of the first of 4 native school teachers at the tender age of 18. He was born in the village (Bario) of Antriol on the outskirts of Kralendijk.  His grandmother was from the famous Booi Family who was the twin sister of the infamous UPB’s Leader’s Ramonsito Booi’s father who traditionally went to work on a ship like most men in those days. His sister, Robby’s grandmother, stayed where she sold/ export goats, fruits & vegetables, clothes and food. She even went on to become a big property owner, buying out “almost” the entire Main Street from Mona Lisa, her Restaurant up to El Mundo Restaurant and circled around to the ocean side without the ability to read or write but according to Robby, she could have count very good.

Subsequently or by mere coincidence, Robby mother went into the hospitality business. After her kids left to study abroad, she turned her home into a guest-house to accommodate the first set of Americans who built the Trans World radio.  This Beukenboom’s family business was piloted by Robby’s Mother, Angelina and supported by other family members. His father dedicated his entire life to teaching even when he was retired he fill-in as a part-time teacher. He also went into politics as one of the founders of the Progressive Party and thereafter joined up with the UPB Party. His father spent an incredible 16 years as an Island Council member.  He had the honour to be a Lt. Governor for the Island of Bonaire. Sadly, while serving as the Island Governor in 1977 he died at the age of 63. His mother went into Politics for a while. Both parents’ families were from the UPB, Family Ellis then Ramonsito Booi.

Robby and his siblings grew up in a political environment so it was the natural thing to be a politician. However, Robby choose a different path and idealistically, he thought UPB was for the upper class and he being on the social democratic side for the less privileged, he leaned towards the masses. He joined the Democratic Party headed at the time by Jopie Abraham. From the beginning he was very popular because of his easy-going persona fitting-in and relating to the man in the street, understanding them, showing his interest in their well-being, people from the highest level to all races and ages, a labourer or a housewife, it did not matter he could relate to them. He had a natural tendency. At his first election, he was the 9th candidate on the list but got the second highest votes. Robby’s other half is Ms Nerry Gonzalez, the former Island Secretary of Bonaire and now a ‘Quartermarker’.

As an Island Council Member for over fifteen years, in 2013, Robby succeeded Jopie Abraham as Political Leader of the party and lead it until he gave up to his nephew, Mr Clark Abraham, the son of Jopie and the son of his sister. When Robby’s ideology and principles clashed with his nephew, Clark Abraham, Mr Abraham abandoned the DP party and became an Independent Island Council member for a short time. Soon afterwards, Mr Clark Abraham joined Elvis Sjin ASjoe’s MPB pro-Dutch party and formed a coalition with majority seats and the Government. They then gave the Dutch Government the green light, as agreed by the Bonaire parliament to anchor Bonaire in the Dutch constitution without equal rights.

In that historical Island Council session, Robby’s fellow DP members walked out of the meeting refusing to vote. Mr Clark went back to the DP party and forced Robby and his loyalists out of the DP party. Robby then formed his own new party of which he is currently the leader and founder, the Frente Sosial Progresivo. Asked what he envisions for the future of Bonaire? He would dedicate his life and work jointly with his fellow members of NUKEB to Re-list Bonaire on the UN-NSGT. Bonaire must be protected from the Colonial Powers and the Natives must have the fundamental rights of Self-Determination.