WILLEMSTAD – The Advisory Council of Curaçao has warned that the quality of legislative initiatives submitted by members of parliament is increasingly under pressure due to a lack of structural legislative support. This is stated in a recent advisory opinion on a parliamentary initiative bill aimed at expanding paternity leave.
According to the Raad van Advies, initiative bills regularly show legal and legislative-technical shortcomings. The council points out that this is partly the result of insufficient professional support available to members of the Staten van Curaçao when drafting legislation.
The advisory body stresses that parliament can only function properly as a co-legislator if adequate legal and legislative-technical assistance is in place, comparable to the level of support available to the government. Without such support, the burden of drafting complex legislation rests largely on individual members, increasing the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
While the advisory opinion was issued in response to a specific proposal to extend paternity leave, the council deliberately broadens its scope. It warns that inadequate support for initiative legislation may result in laws that are unclear, uneven in their effects, or difficult to implement in practice.
According to the Advisory Council, this situation ultimately affects the core of the legislative capacity of parliament and raises concerns about the overall quality and effectiveness of Curaçao’s legal framework. The council’s remarks are expected to reignite discussion about strengthening institutional support for lawmakers to ensure more robust and workable legislation.