WILLEMSTAD – On September 13, 2016, during the opening act of the parliamentary year, Her Excellency the Governor of Curacao Mrs. Lucille George-Wout said:

“All the community can feel the effects of the problems in our neighbor country. Our monitoring team in that matter has confirmed that almost all the arriving persons are exclusively from the areas of delinquency, illegal job and prostitution”.

We as Venezuelans consider necessary to express our discontent, not only for the misguided and inappropriate affirmation but also for the stage in which it took place and the high investiture of the person who said it.

Immigration composition of countries in conflict is usually complex. In Venezuela’s case, we are sure that a good portion of the arriving visitors are tourists, who during decades have created a positive brotherhood with the natives; that has promoted the economy of the island. On the other hand, of which we cannot qualify without clear supporting evidence, is the case of victims created by a domestic conflictive situation of which we have not heard official pronouncements.

Under any circumstance, we do not endorse criminal acts perpetrated by individuals regardless of their nationality. We respect and abide by the rules and norms approved to protect local society. Nevertheless, we cannot agree with biased affirmations, generalizations or maltreatments.

In case the government of the Netherlands sincerely wants to avoid the effects of Venezuelan conflict, we respectfully suggest her excellency to make a pronouncement about the causes of the conflict and not only about its victims.

During centuries Venezuelans have not been emigrants. It is indubitable that a solution of our problems shall cause that many of our families return to the homeland that with many sadness they have had to abandon.

Bron: CuracaoChronicle