WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao government's backlog in answering written questions from Members of Parliament increased sharply during the second quarter of 2026, with 96 questions still unanswered at the end of June. At the end of the first quarter, the number stood at 73, representing an increase of nearly 32 percent in just three months.
The figures come from the latest overview prepared by the Curaçao Parliament on the government's handling of the individual right of MPs to submit written questions. The overview covers the period from May 11, 2025 through June 30, 2026 and lists outstanding questions by ministry.
The largest backlog is at the Ministry of General Affairs, which falls under the responsibility of the Prime Minister. Twenty questions remained unanswered there at the end of June.
The Ministry of Justice follows with 19 unanswered questions, while the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN) has 15. The Ministry of Finance has 12 outstanding questions.
Several ministries saw their backlogs increase substantially during the second quarter.
At GMN, the number of unanswered questions rose from nine at the end of March to 15 at the end of June. Finance went from eight to 12, while Justice increased from 15 to 19.
The increase is particularly significant because it is not simply the result of MPs submitting new questions.
Many questions that were already outstanding at the end of the first quarter remained unanswered three months later, while dozens of new questions were added to the list.
At Finance, for example, all eight questions that were outstanding at the end of March were still listed at the end of June. Four additional unanswered questions were subsequently added.
A similar pattern can be seen at General Affairs, where almost all of the older cases remained unresolved.
The oldest unanswered question dates back to May 19, 2025. By the end of June, it had been pending for 408 days.
That question, submitted by MPs G.M. Mc William and S.F.C. Camelia-Römer, concerns Curaçao's position in the Kingdom Council of Ministers regarding the situation in Gaza.
Under agreements between Parliament and the government, ministers are generally expected to respond to written parliamentary questions within two months.
When that deadline is exceeded, the parliamentary protocol provides for the President of Parliament to send a written reminder to the minister concerned.
Parliamentary President Frits Brownbill also sends the Prime Minister a quarterly overview identifying questions that remain unanswered. The most recent overview was dated July 6.
However, the latest figures indicate that the existing reminder system has so far failed to reduce the overall backlog.
The unanswered questions cover a broad range of subjects affecting Curaçao, including healthcare, taxation, infrastructure, crime and public administration.
At the Ministry of Justice alone, outstanding questions include matters involving vehicle theft, problems within the justice system and responsibility for the JJIC youth detention facility.
The increase from 73 to 96 unanswered questions within three months means the government is falling further behind despite the procedures established to ensure that MPs receive timely answers.