Van Putten on passing of Reginald Zaandam: ‘We considered him one of our own’

ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius – PLP faction leader Clyde van Putten has expressed shock and sadness at the passing of Reginald Zaandam, who passed away earlier this week in Colombia. Van Putten remembers his former political colleague as a dedicated educator, sports enthusiast and politician who loved St. Eustatius and its people.

Zaandam made St. Eustatius his home for more than 30 years. According to Van Putten, he became firmly part of the island community.

“We considered him one of our own,” Van Putten said, reflecting on the many ways in which Zaandam contributed to the island during the decades he lived there.

Education was particularly close to Zaandam’s heart. He worked as a teacher and later became director of the Gwendoline van Putten School, before continuing his work in education as the first director of the Department of Education on St. Eustatius.

Van Putten described him as someone with “a deep passion and a deep love for the island and its people,” whose commitment to education went far beyond what his positions required.

“It was never too much for Zaandam when it came to the advancement of education on St. Eustatius,” he said.

Zaandam was also well known outside education. He was an avid sports lover and particularly enjoyed dominoes. Van Putten recalled that he could regularly be found at different locations around the island playing the game, making him a familiar figure in Statian community life.

His involvement with the island eventually extended into politics. Zaandam founded the United People’s Coalition (UPC) and won a seat on the Island Council in 2011. The UPC subsequently became part of a governing coalition with the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) and the STEP party. That coalition became known as the ‘Coalition of Hope’.

Van Putten acknowledged that he and Zaandam developed some political differences in later years. Those disagreements, however, did not diminish his respect for him.

Zaandam, he recalled, was always candid about matters he considered important and did not hesitate to say how he felt, but he expressed his views in a respectful manner. Above all, Van Putten remembered him as deeply patriotic about St. Eustatius and committed to its development.

Van Putten said his reflections were both a personal tribute and an expression of condolences on behalf of the PLP. He extended his sympathies to Zaandam’s family and loved ones.