Bury the hatchet
News that the dolphinarium planned at the harbour is no longer coming ends a period of confrontation between local animal rights activists and those backing the project. While the idea was to offer particularly cruise passengers an attraction, it would have left a negative impression among an increasingly large number of people all over the world who believe dolphins should be free.
The Antillean Government agreed to give the necessary permission, also because Curaçao Seaquarium already has a dolphinarium, but set strict conditions and added that it would be the last one. In the end, those conditions apparently proved too much and the idea was dropped.
While the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) was originally in favour of the project, its enthusiasm decreased noticeably when it became clear that there was widespread support for groups opposing the project. As time went on, even officials in charge of the harbour were beginning to have serious doubts about continuing with the plans.
The objections were directed not only at the dolphinarium itself, but at the lack of transparency surrounding the project, which no doubt had to do with all the controversy. In that sense there is an important lesson to be learned.
Open government is a principle that must be applied not only when there is good news to report, but at all times. If requests are made for documents and information that by law should be accessible to the public, government has no right to deny those requests.
Politicians should learn to understand that this is in their own interest, because holding on to or somehow concealing such information will only create the impression that there is something to hide.
Now that the matter has been settled, it’s important for both sides not to hold a grudge. The Executive Council and the companies involved were undoubtedly doing what they thought was a good thing for the island, while the same goes for the opponents. It’s time to bury the hatchet and move on.
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