The new government program of cabinet Pisas III is ambitious, confident and expansive in its economic promises. Growth, diversification, a stronger business climate and improved competitiveness all feature prominently. Yet beneath the optimism lies an uncomfortable reality: Curaçao is still struggling to implement the very economic reforms it already committed to under the Landspakket.
That gap between promise and execution matters.
The Financial Management Report for the fourth quarter of 2025 makes clear that many Landspakket economic reforms remain incomplete, delayed or stuck in preparatory phases. These are not abstract reforms. They concern tax administration, labor market efficiency, regulatory simplification and the broader investment climate. In other words, the structural foundations of economic growth.
The problem is not a lack of plans. Curaçao has no shortage of strategies, roadmaps or reform frameworks. The problem is execution capacity. Ministries remain overstretched, coordination is fragmented and accountability is diffuse. Economic reforms depend heavily on external expertise, while internal institutions struggle to absorb and sustain change. As a result, progress is uneven and fragile.
Against that backdrop, the new government program raises a critical question: what will be different this time?
Pisas III presents a long list of economic ambitions, but offers limited clarity on prioritization. Growth sectors multiply on paper, from logistics and tourism to digital services and energy. Yet the Landspakket experience shows that Curaçao cannot effectively pursue everything at once. Economic reform requires focus, sequencing and institutional discipline. Without that, ambition turns into overload.
There is also a credibility issue. Businesses and investors have heard reform promises before. Delays in tax reform, regulatory modernization and labor market adjustments create uncertainty. When timelines repeatedly shift and reforms remain “in development,” confidence erodes. A new program does not reset expectations unless it demonstrably changes how decisions are made and implemented.
The Landspakket was meant to strengthen Curaçao’s economic resilience. Instead, its slow execution has exposed structural weaknesses in governance and coordination. These weaknesses have not disappeared with the launch of a new cabinet. If anything, they now pose a greater risk, because the new government is layering fresh ambitions on top of unfinished reforms.
Economic reform is not about vision statements. It is about difficult choices, institutional follow-through and the willingness to say no. Pisas III will be judged not by the breadth of its plans, but by whether it finally delivers results where previous efforts stalled.
Curaçao does not need more economic promises. It needs fewer promises, executed well. Until the lessons of the Landspakket are fully acknowledged and addressed, the new government program risks repeating a familiar pattern: high expectations, limited delivery and another cycle of deferred reform.
The economy cannot afford that. Neither can public trust.