WILLEMSTAD – Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas has announced that the Curaçao government will reorganize its representation in the Netherlands. According to the prime minister, Kas di Kòrsou in The Hague will undergo restructuring in the near future, with a strong focus on capacity building and professionalization.
Pisas made the announcement during a parliamentary debate on the advisory letter of the Raad van State marking seventy years of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In that advice, the Council of State addressed, among other issues, the position of the minister plenipotentiary, Curaçao’s representative in the Kingdom Council of Ministers.
According to Pisas, Kas di Kòrsou plays a crucial role in safeguarding Curaçao’s interests within the Kingdom. The planned reorganization is intended to ensure that the representation can fully carry out its responsibilities and better support the Curaçao government in Kingdom-related matters.
The prime minister also addressed recent complaints from staff members at Kas di Kòrsou, who publicly stated that they had not received their salary, or part of it. Pisas said the situation has his full attention and stressed that the government is working toward a sustainable and concrete solution.
Pisas further stated that the Council of State’s recommendation to adjust the position of the minister plenipotentiary does not have the support of the Curaçao government. According to him, such an approach would conflict with Curaçao’s democratic system. Any government that enjoys the confidence of the electorate, he said, has the right to appoint its own representative to the Kingdom Council of Ministers.
During a technical presentation on the advisory report marking seventy years of the Charter, constitutional law expert Arjen van Rijn emphasized that the role of the minister plenipotentiary is a highly important position within the Kingdom. He cautioned that care should be taken to prevent the appointment from being used for purely political purposes.