WILLEMSTAD - Speech by the Governor of Curacao, Her Excellency Lucille George-Wout on the occasion of King's Day 2020.

Monday, April 27, 8:00 PM

Dear fellow citizens of Curaçao, good evening.

Today is King's Day! But not as we are used to celebrating in Curaçao. This time there are no pleasant flea markets, no cheerful street parties in our neighborhoods, and no exuberant performances by our artists. We all had to stay at home; and stronger, keep distance from each other. That is not how we normally do celebrate a party on Curacao. But the circumstances in which all of us have ended up worldwide because of the corona virus leave us no choice.

The sadness and upheaval that the virus has brought into the world are unimaginable. We all know the images from other countries of aid workers who do everything they can to provide the best care possible under these circumstances, but who despite the difficult situations, are still making progress. We empathize with all those affected by the virus, all over the world and also on Curacao. Either affected in a physical sense or affected in their daily existence.

The drastic measures taken by the cabinet here with great vigor are necessary. This prevents further infections with the virus as much as possible. Fortunately, this strategy has been successful in Curacao in the past period. Particularly also because the vast majority of you have faithfully followed the instructions and advice in the context of “Keda Kas” (stay at home); our new rules of life.

But we all pay a high price for it. That is inevitable. The economy is at a standstill; social life is limited and the cultural sector is impoverished. It is also not possible to live our faith in meetings; while that is so badly needed in times like this. Nevertheless, it is important that we keep hope and confidence in the future.

Because although there are bright spots in the fight against the virus and the control of the number of illnesses, at the same time we know that it is far from over. We must take seriously into account that the virus will be around in the world for some time to come; and will have an effect on our daily lives for quite some time. Our way of being together, working together, and playing together will be subject to restrictions for a long time. We have to live with that for the time being. And so we have to find a way to deal with that. Most of us have done well in the past period. But it will still require a lot of us to continue to do so in the coming period.

I am impressed by the initiatives that have now arisen to provide help to our fellow citizens on Curacao who need the most help. From food bank to Red Cross, and from individuals to business owners. Many are committed to getting through this difficult period together. That is heartwarming.

The government is also doing what it can within the limited financial possibilities of our country. Through financial support to citizens and businesses; and through social support and advice to get through this difficult period. Unfortunately, in the socio-economic conditions in which our country is now, this cannot and will not be enough to continue our lives on the same footing. We will have to row with the oars we have. And this while many were already struggling in the socio-economic conditions of our country. That is why it is now extra important that we show solidarity with each other. Sacrifices will be asked of all of us to make it possible for everyone to get through this crisis in a dignified manner. That is inescapable. We will all have to contribute to strengthening our care, restoring our economy, and sustaining social services; in short, keeping our society livable. That's just the way it is. We will have to prepare for a new beginning.

Fortunately, we are not alone in Curacao; and we get support from the Kingdom. The countries of the Kingdom also assist each other in this crisis by working together. This is done in the context of the four-country consultations.

Although as an autonomous country we will primarily have to bear the burden of the crisis ourselves, like many other countries in the world in these difficult times, we can count on being assisted with various forms of aid from the Netherlands. Despite the fact that the Netherlands itself is also severely affected,  they offered help in the medical field, through the supply of medical facilities and resources, and the deployment of medical personnel and other forms of support, such as the deployment of military personnel. The Netherlands also makes it possible, by offering liquidity support, that the government of Curacao can independently instigate aid measures for citizens and companies. But it cannot be anything other than that which must be accompanied by adjustments in our own expenditure, both as a country and as families and individuals. We will have to pay for it, we will have to carry the burdens together. This crisis demands sacrifices from all of us.

Not everything will go right at once in the fight against the crisis. We have to take into account that further adjustments are needed in the services here on Curacao. And it takes patience and perseverance to shape it in a good way so that the help ends up in the right places; with the people who need the most help. It is important that these adjustments are balanced so that they can be supported and understood together. We will all have to contribute as we can to find solutions to the major challenges in our society. Ultimately, we all have an interest in getting through this crisis together. Solidarity is the keyword here.

Hopefully, we will be able to gradually resume our daily life in the coming period. That will have to be done carefully because we want to prevent a large-scale outbreak of the virus from occurring on Curacao. But even when the medical crisis is over, we will still face major challenges. Nobody knows exactly how long the virus will be around the world and how big the damage will ultimately be to our economy and our social services. It will take a lot of effort to rebuild the country together. We need each other for that. That's why we are a society.

Despite the consternation of these days, we must not forget that on the occasion of King's Day, citizens who have worked for our society are honored. This year, too, a large number of fellow countrymen have been awarded a Royal decoration. This year in number 22. Let them be a source of inspiration these days in our commitment to getting through the corona crisis together.

(…)

Recently I have congratulated our King, Willem-Alexander, in a video conversation, on behalf of Curacao, with his then upcoming birthday. Unfortunately, I had to tell the King that due to the Corona crisis we will not be able to celebrate his birthday this year, as we are used to on Curacao. On that occasion, the King informed me that he is deeply sympathetic to all the victims of the corona crisis. The King wishes the government of Curacao much wisdom during this difficult period. On behalf of the King, I am allowed to convey his warmest greetings to all citizens of Curacao, also on behalf of Queen Maxima. Their thoughts are with all of us.

With our faith, as a nation under God, let us trust that we can quickly celebrate that we are liberated from the crisis and that we can quickly resume our lives.

Good evening.