WILLEMSTAD - According to the opposition party PAR, the first part of the Central Commission meeting regarding Oryx was a poorly executed show. Instead of seeking information, asking questions, reviewing documents, and debating with the government, MFK parliamentarians presented "information" to other parliament members regarding the Oryx deal. MFK spoke negatively about the previous government led by PAR and denied other parliamentarians who wanted to do their job by asking questions, and reviewing the documents. 

According to PAR, a remarkable moment occurred when, despite the Prime Minister receiving a petition to submit documents for parliamentary review as of July 17, 2024, he came to the MFK-called meeting without providing the requested documents to Parliament. 

MFK parliamentarians claimed that the government had given enough information to the press and, as such, there was no need for extensive questioning or document review. 

When PAR petitioned to suspend the meeting until the documents were made available to Parliament, MFK, KEM, and independent MP Mrs. Jesus-Leito voted against it. 

An interesting moment during the meeting was when an MFK Parliamentarian suggested that Oryx wanted to leave Curaçao after taking note of the critical questions posed by Parliament members in the press. 

It is worth noting that this is the same approach used by Caribbean Petroleum Refinery (CPR). 

“Do you remember that the same thing happened after the CPR meeting in Parliament? After critical questions were asked in Parliament, CPR threatened Curaçao with an investigation by the American secret service and made claims when it became clear that CPR had falsified documents,” PAR pointed out. 

According to PAR, this is not a good sign for Curaçao, where parliamentary democracy exists, and Parliament must do its job. 

“It is clear that the MFK-called meeting was simply an effort to create a superficial show and not provide the community with the information it deserves,” PAR lamented. 

In the end, Prime Minister Mr. Pisas requested a two-month delay to respond to Parliament, confirming that this meeting was merely an effort by MFK to withhold information from the public for the time being. 

Another dark moment in the functioning of our parliamentary democracy, which is slowly taking on the characteristics of an autocratic democracy led by a group.