WILLEMSTAD – The debate over the long-delayed adjustment to the AOV (basic old-age pension) continues to dominate Curaçao’s political discourse, with the Partido Nashonal di Pueblo (PNP) now calling on Finance Minister Javier Silvania to take immediate and decisive action.
Despite frequent discussions and blame-shifting between political factions about who is responsible for the inaction, PNP has chosen to bypass the technical financial arguments, instead focusing on the rising cost of living that affects all citizens, especially retirees.
According to the party, the law already mandates that the AOV pension be adjusted in times of economic growth—something Curaçao experienced after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that adjustment still hasn't happened due to various governmental technicalities.
The PNP is now urging Minister Silvania to leave past debates behind and act as a creative, compassionate, and solution-oriented leader. The party points out that for many retirees, the AOV pension is their sole source of income. In some cases, retirees even use it to support other family members, such as grandchildren or nieces and nephews.
Silvania has previously stated that it would take more than a year to implement the adjustment responsibly, including a full commission study on how best to proceed. While the PNP agrees that such due diligence is necessary for significant increases—such as raising pensions to the levels seen in Aruba or Sint Maarten—they argue that this case is different.
“This is a simple adjustment, not a major overhaul,” the party emphasized. “Waiting over a year for that is unjustifiable.”
The PNP also took issue with the Minister’s claim that IMF advice is required. “The IMF is a financial institution that only looks at numbers, not the social realities of our people,” the party stated, adding that the IMF is not elected by the people and should not dictate domestic social policy.
They pointed to previous decisions made by Minister Silvania during the election campaign—decisions that involved large expenditures and did not require IMF consultation or commission approval. “If those decisions were made to ease the pain of some citizens, why not do the same now for retirees who are simply asking for what they are entitled to?”
The PNP concluded with a clear recommendation: ask the commission to propose the fastest and most efficient route for implementing the pension adjustment, so retirees don’t have to wait another year while struggling with high food prices and inflation.
“Minister, we all know that ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way,’” the PNP declared. “Let’s get this done. Our pensioners cannot walk into a store and ask for a 25% discount while they wait for a commission to finish its study. You have the power—just do it.”
