Oranjestad- A letter by Statia resident Jan Meijer calls on Government Commissioners Alida Francis and Claudia Toet to be more transparent about the situation with the halted archaeological explorations on the island.

Meijer, who indicates to represent ‘a group of concerned citizens’ states that while the excavations were halted after a number of protests to the way this is being done, the Government has gone quiet on the issue.

“After that there is (by you) no further communication at all, at least not with us. Not a single response follows. On August 1, we addressed the situation once again. But you choose, at least until now, to remain silent”, writes Meijer.

Rumors

Meijer calls on the Government to restart communication on the issue, to avoid rumors and speculations. “In order to prevent rumors about funding and conflict of interest I would like to ask you additionally and in all transparency to provide the Island Council (as representatives of the people) with insight into the plans for the (near) future, the budget of the project and the extent to which this will be charged to the budget of the Public Entity of St. Eustatius, the decision to make this budget public as well as (again) to make public how exactly the financing of the PR activities of SECAR is done”.

The group around Meijer is not the only group protesting the excavations and they way they have taken place so far. Ubuntu Connected Front (UCF), the Brighter Path Foundation and St. Eustatius Awareness and Development Movement (SEAD) have also sent letters surrounding the issue. The BES-reporter understand from her sources that the groups are not necessarily on one line, when it comes to their position on the excavations and the way forward.