Member of Parliament for the opposition party PAR, Steven Croes draws attention to Minister Ruisandro Cijntje, stating that the current situation cannot continue as it is.
WILLEMSTAD - “Economy is not just tourism.” This is according to Member of Parliament Steven Croes, who recently delivered his speech in parliament following the response of the Minister of Economic Development, Ruisandro Cijntje. He mentioned that there is currently a heavy emphasis on tourism, which is progressing well, but it is being forgotten that there are other sectors that are important for driving and prospering the economy.
Additionally, Cijntje continuously highlights inflation, but without mentioning the factors that he could potentially influence through his management.
Croes pointed out that grocery prices in supermarket aisles are extremely high, and many people in the community are hungry. The minister's focus is not on serious efforts to mitigate the factors contributing to this.
One of the significant factors impacting the prices that the community pays at the checkout for, among other things, groceries, is the percentage of sales tax (OB) and import duties, which are very high and need to be adjusted. In this regard, Croes questioned Cijntje if he is aware of this and, more importantly, if he is in conversation with Finance Minister Javier Silvania to reach decisions that could make a difference.
Croes also questioned the Minister and indirectly his colleague Silvania: if it is true that the government’s treasury is full because taxes are being collected on a large scale, why are you not looking for ways to alleviate the people's burden?
Croes questioned how much longer the community will be able to bear the astronomical prices affecting the cost of living. Is the Minister going to take action?