WILLEMSTAD - In the wake of the Ministry of Finance’s announcement on the tax office’s fire safety compliance, a troubling pattern emerges - a pattern in which government authorities operate above or apart from the standards universally required of all actors.
Good governance is predicated on the principle that public institutions not only adhere to the letter of safety codes but also set the standard for transparency and accountability. Commissioning a building before all safety requirements are independently verified falls short of these principles. Building codes and sectoral best practices make clear that approval for use should only follow complete compliance with safety standards, rigorous inspection, and independent certification.
If the government does not hold to these standards for themselves, how can they holder others to these standards?
Rule of law dictates that government authorities are bound by the same obligations imposed on private entities. In practice, a private developer would not be permitted to open a facility to the public without passing every mandated safety inspection; to do so would be illegal and subject to severe penalties. The sense that government is “above the law” erodes public confidence and weakens institutional legitimacy. The equal application of safety regulations is not merely a technicality - it is a foundational element of democratic society and safe environments for all.
This is not a theoretical concern. Building disasters worldwide, such as the Grenfell Tower fire in the United Kingdom, revealed how ignoring or circumventing safety compliance - including by publicly funded institutions - can have catastrophic consequences for health, security, and public trust. In each case, weak oversight, the normalization of exceptions, and the delayed implementation of vital safety features emerge as common threads.
Curaçao’s Ministry of Finance has documented major improvements - installation of fire systems, evacuation infrastructure, and ongoing collaboration with safety authorities are unquestionably positive steps. However, the commissioning of a building ahead of full compliance, even with remedial works pending, is inconsistent with international expectations for governance and legal conformity. Even incremental, “almost there” approaches should never be justified where life safety is concerned.
Ultimately, setting a higher bar for government buildings is not only good governance, but it honors the principle that nobody is above the law. Full compliance before occupancy, transparency in public disclosure, and independent oversight must be demanded - by citizens, lawmakers, and public administrators alike. Anything less is a half measure where only whole ones will do.
