By Alex Rosaria
Nearly 20 years ago, I made proposals to change the way the opening of Parliament is conducted. No one listened. This often happens when you are ahead of others. This is a translation of an earlier version in Papiamentu dated September 15, 2024.
Every year, the same show is repeated in Punda. The polished car of the Governor arrives at the Town Hall, H.E. the Governor steps out, crosses a patch of asphalt that glimmers a bit extra due to dirty engine oil, climbs the stairs, and delivers a speech for the opening of the parliamentary year. And as usual, the vast majority takes no notice. If it weren't for the fact that Punda was closed off early in the morning, even fewer people would know that “something” was happening there.
This year’s speech was, as usual, a “disjointed official story” stitched together from 9 ministries. It covered the same promises from the Government Program, such as: repairing roads, boosting the economy, reducing crime, and optimizing education and culture (while science, which is part of the same ministry, remains overlooked once again). Realizing that the expiration date of the speech is May 2025, when a new constellation will take over, there were almost no references to long-term ambitions.
As a minister (2005), I had the courage to propose some changes: either clean the asphalt where H.E. the Governor has to walk, or lay down a carpet. Hold the opening of the States not in the morning, but during “prime time” (8:00pm) to reach the public as much as possible, and encourage TV/radio stations to have panels of experts before and after the speech. I also suggested including a long-term ambition in the speech.
How was this received? The Prime Minister said to me, “How dare you, Rosario?” (My last name is Rosaria.)
So, I, along with a handful of people, will have to wait for a demographic approach to address an ever-shrinking population and a labor shortage. Will there be coordination to ensure that our monetary union works? Will there be a vision for the energy transition, climate change, and our democratic system, which increasingly disappoints people? What is our position regarding the efforts of others to make our country an UPG? And on the same note: why is there no referendum law as outlined in Article 60 of the Constitution?
Above all, we still owe an answer to the question of what kind of Curaçao we want and what kind of citizen is needed to build this.
Don’t worry if you didn’t see the film this time. It will be replayed next year.
~ Alex David Rosaria (53) is a freelance consultant active in Asia and the Pacific. He is a former Member of Parliament, Minister of Economic Affairs, State Secretary of Finance and UN Implementation Officer in Africa and Central America. He is from Curaçao and has an MBA from University of Iowa (USA). ~
