For the first time in 15 years, James Finies has been advising the people of Bonaire not to vote in Dutch elections, and all major media outlets in the Netherlands reported on Finies’ call for a protest boycott. This marks a truly historic moment.
Many people in the Netherlands are unaware of the real situation in Bonaire because the information reaching the public is often filtered or influenced by media closely tied to the Dutch government. Despite Finies’ historic international achievements and those of the Bonaire Human Rights Organization—including presentations at the United Nations and other international forums, where he exposed the realities of Bonaire after 10-10-10—the Dutch press has largely ignored these efforts, leaving the Dutch public uninformed or misinformed about Bonaire’s struggle for justice and self-determination.
Finies declared that this attention from Dutch media is a positive development. More than ten of the largest Dutch media outlets—including NOS 1, Nieuwsuur, De Telegraaf, Trouw, MSN, NPO, Nieuws.nl, EenVandaag, and many others—reported on Finies’ call for an election boycott, with this time achieving national headlines during Dutch primetime news. Another historic moment for Finies and Bonaire was when Dutch legal and constitutional experts publicly acknowledged that Finies’ “don’t vote” campaign was justified, taking into account the political subordination and injustices Bonaire has suffered at the hands of The Hague since 10-10-10.
The extremely low voter turnout of just 21.5% in Bonaire for the recent Dutch parliamentary election sends a clear and uncompromising message of resistance and discontent. Despite pressure from local parties—MPB, DP, UPB, and M21—to vote for their Netherlands-affiliated parties, the population refused to legitimize a political system imposed on them since 2010. It is widely known that these local politicians and parties have reportedly received cooperation and incentives to promote Dutch political interests during elections in Bonaire—a practice that seriously undermines integrity, transparency, and democratic values. The silence of the Bonairean population at the polls was not apathy, but a deliberate act of protest—a stand against hypocrisy, frustration with both local and Dutch leaders, and a demand for honesty, accountability, and genuine representation.
An article in the Dutch press outlet Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties NL reported: “Finies’ boycott action in Bonaire gives the Dutch Electoral Council a headache.” Finies’ call to boycott the parliamentary election kept the Dutch Electoral Council busy after suspicions arose of a counting error at the Rincon polling station. An unusually high 4.2% of blank votes triggered an official investigation. The investigation confirmed that James Finies, a well-known local figure, had called via social media for people not to vote or to cast blank votes. In Rincon, where the population is primarily local, this call had a significant impact. Voter participation was especially low, causing the Dutch Electoral Council to delay the publication of the final results in the Netherlands.
The people of Bonaire spoke through their silence—a powerful act of resistance against injustice. James Finies and the Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO) continue to call for Bonaire’s re-inclusion as a Non-Self-Governing Territory under the United Nations, to ensure international protection and oversight. Only through truth, respect, and accountability can democracy and real dignity be restored for the people of Bonaire.