WILLEMSTAD - In a press release the largest opposition party in Parliament, the MFK, warns that the austerity measures announced by the government through the Minister of Finance Kenneth Gijsbertha will cause a financial collapse. According to the party, their political leader, who is currently serving a three-year sentence, Gerrit Schotte has been warning the government about this since 2013.

“Today, six years later, we can take note of what our leader has been saying. The government is out of control regarding the public finances, there is an unbalanced budget, crime continues to rise, and each day becomes more violent and there is a notable poverty in the neighborhoods,” says the party in its press release.

With the austerity measures just to satisfy the Netherlands and the Committee for Financial Supervision (CFT), the Rhuggenaath cabinet will not increase the quality of life on the island. These measures will be devastating for both the working class as well as those living under the poverty line. “If these measures are implemented, Curaçao will know a higher percentage of poverty. There will only be rich and poor. The middle class will disappear completely. The lives of the people will be affected negatively.”

The opposition party also accuses the government of spending more than what it earns. They say that this is the actual cause of the current financial situation. “Now the government thinks that we as a people should pay for what they have done to the public finances.”

The party ends its press release by asking Minister Gijsbertha to listen to the various sectors in the community that are saying that these measures will not bring a solution.