WILLEMSTAD – Eight members of the Pisas III Cabinet failed to respond during the official consultation process to a critical report by the General Audit Chamber (Algemene Rekenkamer Curaçao) warning that the government is falling behind in its efforts to obtain a clean audit opinion on Curaçao's 2026 financial statements.
According to the Audit Chamber's 2025 annual report, only the Minister of Social Development, Labor and Welfare (SOAW) submitted an official administrative response. The remaining eight ministers, including Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas in his capacity as Minister of General Affairs, did not provide a formal reaction to the findings.
The report addresses one of the government's key financial reform objectives: obtaining an unqualified auditor's opinion on the country's annual financial statements for 2026. However, the Audit Chamber concluded that all ministries are behind schedule in implementing the government's Roadmap 2026, raising doubts about whether that goal can still be achieved.
No administrative responses were received from the ministries of General Affairs, Governance, Planning and Public Service, Economic Development, Justice, Finance, Health, Environment and Nature, Education, Science, Culture and Sport, or Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning. The Audit Chamber specifically noted in its annual report that only one of the nine ministers approached during the consultation process submitted a formal response.
Finance minister's silence draws attention
The absence of a response from Finance Minister Charles Cooper is particularly notable given the recommendations contained in the report.
The Audit Chamber urged Parliament to hold the finance minister accountable for prioritizing financial improvement programs, filling long-standing vacancies in key financial positions, and addressing the structural deficiencies that have prevented previous government accounts from receiving a clean audit opinion.
The report was presented to Parliament on August 18, 2025.
According to the Audit Chamber, ministries had already been informed in October 2023 about the errors and uncertainties affecting each ministry's financial reporting. They were instructed to develop action plans and regularly report on their progress. The watchdog later concluded that implementation of those improvement measures had fallen significantly behind schedule.
No response on school air conditioning report
The lack of engagement was not limited to financial management.
The Audit Chamber also reported receiving no administrative or political response from either the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education or the responsible minister regarding its investigation into climate control in schools, particularly the installation and maintenance of air conditioning systems.
That report warned that while the government continues investing in new air conditioning units, it still lacks a comprehensive long-term policy, sustainable funding model and clear maintenance strategy.
As a result, school boards could struggle to properly operate and maintain the systems, increasing the likelihood that government will once again have to provide emergency funding in the future.
Contrast with other investigations
The Audit Chamber noted a clear contrast with several of its other investigations.
Reports examining economic permit procedures and the management of government-owned buildings both received administrative and ministerial responses during the consultation process.
However, in the two reports dealing directly with the government's financial recovery efforts and the learning environment in schools, no such formal responses were provided.
The annual report does not conclude that the ministers ignored the Audit Chamber's recommendations. However, without official administrative responses, Parliament and the public have no formal explanation of how the government intends to address the concerns raised by the country's highest public audit institution.