WILLEMSTAD - Over the last 3 months, it was noticed that the pedestal of the statue of Mr. Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez was covered. Meanwhile, the working group consisting of Ms. Maria Liberia-Peters, Mr. Henny Reinilla, Ms. Mr. Suzanne Camelia Römer, Mr. Clark de Windt, and Mr. Omar v/d Dijs persevered tirelessly, allowing the restoration works to take place. At the same time, the initial statutes of the "Foundation Statue Mr. Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez" had to be reactivated, with the aim of promoting awareness of the work and disseminating the ideals and ideology of Mr. Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez. These are ideals that never expire, as they are not bound by time but must be continually nurtured.
It should not be the case that a significant portion of the current population and our future generations have little knowledge of the work that Mr. Dr. Da Costa Gomez carried out from the moment he received his doctoral degree in December 1935 until his passing in November 1966. Particularly noteworthy are his efforts to transform the Curaçaoan population from a colonial status of subordination within the Dutch Kingdom to citizens in the country known as the Netherlands Antilles, with the rights of self-determination, suffrage, and self-governance. The Curaçaoan people and future generations must be aware that this Curaçaoan is regarded as a great statesman within the Dutch Kingdom. Undoubtedly, he is one of our heroes, serving as a role model for Curaçaoans striving for progress and prosperity for our country.
From the moment Minister Cey van Heydoorn was approached in this regard, the working group could count on the cooperation, especially from the Culture Section of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, in coordination with the Ministry of Traffic, Transportation, and Spatial Planning.
On Sunday, July 30th, at half past six in the morning, the statue was lifted off its pedestal with a crane to be transported to the workshop where the restoration work will take place. The pedestal will also be renewed to maintain harmony and aesthetic coherence with the fully renovated statue. According to the plan, the completely restored statue will be placed back on Gomez Square, named after Da Costa Gomez, after 2 to 3 months. While the physical work is ongoing, the working group is taking all necessary steps to reactivate the original "Foundation Statue Mr. Dr. M. F. Da Costa Gomez" as the Legal Entity with its Advisory Board. The purpose is for this mentioned entity to disseminate relevant information, the ideology, reflections, ideals, and works of this great Curaçaoan, Mr. Dr. Moises F. da Costa Gomez, in every possible way. This knowledge will undoubtedly be valuable for guiding the future course of our country and its people.