If the Mutual Agreement is coming to Parliament like mustard after the meal, it should at least come to the States themselves with the status of the reforms!
WILLEMSTAD - Parliament opened the week with a public meeting and a central committee meeting on the mutual agreement that replaced COHO(Caribbean Organ for Reform and Development). Those meetings were long overdue, but the PIN party is content that they are finally taking place. PIN and the people would be even more content if the government would immediately explain how the reforms are progressing and if there is a scheme to periodically inform Parliament about the decisions and implementation of the reforms. There is no time to waste in advancing our country.
Why
The Mutual Agreement was prepared in a cloud of secrecy. After its signing, discussions started about supposed additional non-existent financial benefits. The PIN party has already indicated that those discussions are pointless because the Mutual Agreement is not just about money from the Netherlands. For PIN, following their humanistic-Christian ideology, the value of the agreement within the Kingdom is an opportunity for us to take responsibility ourselves. It is up to us to improve what is good and correct what is wrong in the eight areas covered by the national package.
Undoubtedly, every social group must contribute to achieving success with the priority actions in Curaçao's national package. Therefore, it is regrettable that the government has not yet come to Parliament to explain how the implementation of the measures in the national package is progressing. This leaves the community in the dark, missing opportunities to contribute and witnessing its progress being postponed.
Questions
Therefore, the PIN party asks our representatives to take advantage of the two meetings this week on this topic to seek answers to at least the following questions:
How does the government itself perceive the progress of the implementation of the national package?
Can the government explain why the measure to reduce pensions through a decrease in the cost-of-living allowance is included in the national package?
Does the government still intend to collect an individual contribution ('eigen bijdrage') from individuals who need to visit a doctor or hospital?
Does the government still want to reduce its services at the regional level (Haiti-San Domingo-Venezuela)?
Why is it that every time an 'Uitvoeringsrapportage' (implementation report) on the national package is released, the government has never come to Parliament to explain the details and provide a translation in Papiamento?
Does the government have the intention, in the future, to come to the States immediately to account for and justify each 'Uitvoeringsrapportage,' as well as translate the report into Papiamento?
What is the government's prioritization regarding everything included in the national package?
Clearly, the Pisas government has many unanswered questions regarding this issue. However, it is time for the entire Parliament, especially those who bear the flag of dualism, to assume their responsibility. They can, for example, pass a motion pressuring the government to come to Parliament every time an 'Uitvoeringsrapportage' is published to explain the status of the reforms.