WILLEMSTAD – Opposition party MAN-PIN is demanding that Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas urgently appear before Parliament for a question hour over concerns that Curaçao may be losing its independent voice within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on foreign affairs matters.
Member of Parliament Suzy Camelia-Römer is seeking clarification on whether Curaçao still has sufficient influence when decisions affecting the island are made internationally.
The immediate trigger for the request was two recent developments that, according to MAN-PIN, raised questions about Curaçao’s role within Kingdom diplomacy.
One concerns the recent vote at the United Nations on a resolution related to the history of slavery, during which the Netherlands abstained without consulting the Caribbean countries within the Kingdom.
The second issue involves a meeting held on May 4 between the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Venezuelan counterpart. During those talks, tourism and transportation matters involving the ABC islands were reportedly discussed, but it remains unclear whether Curaçao itself participated in the discussions.
According to Camelia-Römer, the Kingdom Charter gives Curaçao sufficient room to defend its own economic and diplomatic interests within the region.
The MAN-PIN parliamentarian now wants Prime Minister Pisas to explain how often Curaçao has independently participated in negotiations over the past five years and what steps the government intends to take to ensure the island proactively helps shape decisions rather than simply following policies determined in The Hague.
The request adds to broader discussions within the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom about autonomy, consultation, and the balance of power between the Netherlands and the islands in international and Kingdom affairs.