WILLEMSTAD – MFK parliamentarian Javier Silvania is urging the government to continue and structurally expand the “Pasku Ku Bida” project, which was launched to help low-income and middle-class families reconnect water and electricity services by partially canceling utility debts owed to Aqualectra.
In a lengthy parliamentary letter addressed to Social Development, Labor and Welfare Minister Charetty America-Francisca, Silvania argues that access to water and electricity should be treated as a basic human right.
According to the MP, the United Nations recognizes access to water as a human right, while electricity is internationally viewed as an essential service tied to public health, education, and human dignity. He warns that households without water and electricity often face unhygienic conditions, health risks, and educational problems for children.
Silvania states that the Council of Ministers approved the “Pasku Ku Bida” project in 2024 following his request while he was serving as minister. Under the initiative, the government agreed to pay Aqualectra millions of guilders to reduce outstanding utility debts and reconnect disconnected households before Christmas 2024.
According to the letter, the first phase covered 1,345 low-income households earning at or below minimum wage and 4,451 middle-class households with higher incomes.
The Curaçao government reportedly approved an initial payment of NAf 5.8 million to Aqualectra as part of the arrangement. Under the agreement, the government would cover 50 percent of debts for many households, while Aqualectra would absorb 25 percent of the debt and associated penalties. Customers would then enter payment arrangements for the remaining balance.
For minimum wage households, the government would cover 75 percent of the debt while Aqualectra would cancel the remaining 25 percent entirely, allowing the families to reconnect utilities without upfront payments.
The project also included the installation of prepaid “Pagatinu” smart meters for water and electricity to help prevent households from accumulating new debts after reconnection.
Silvania now wants the government to disclose how many families were ultimately reconnected, how much money was paid to Aqualectra, how many smart meters were installed, and how much debt Aqualectra ultimately wrote off during the program.
The parliamentarian claims the project effectively stopped after Minister America-Francisca assumed leadership of SOAW and warns that many vulnerable families continue struggling to reconnect utilities because they cannot afford the large upfront payments Aqualectra now requests again.