WILLEMSTAD – Opposition parliamentarian Giselle Mc William of MAN-PIN has accused the Pisas government of failing to properly apply the legally required indexation of Curaçao’s AOV old-age pension, arguing that pensioners should currently be receiving XCG 1,050 per month instead of XCG 1,000.
According to Mc William, pensioners have been legally entitled to AOV indexation since 2021. She argues that the current XCG 1,000 payment does not fully reflect the adjustments that should have been made over the past several years.
“AOV is a right, not a favor,” Mc William said, accusing the government of presenting recent increases as an achievement rather than the implementation of a legal entitlement.
The MAN-PIN parliamentarian says the government has pointed to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which is reportedly unable to calculate the required economic growth figures from August to August, as an obstacle to applying the indexation formula.
Mc William rejects that explanation and argues that a lack of data from CBS should not prevent the government from finding another way to perform the calculation. She suggested involving the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance.
According to Mc William, doing so is ultimately a question of political will. She compared the situation with the government’s decision to pay vacation allowances to civil servants earlier than the date stipulated by law, arguing that the government demonstrated flexibility when it wanted to accelerate those payments.
She said the same political determination should be used to ensure pensioners receive the full AOV indexation to which MAN-PIN believes they are entitled.
Mc William also criticized statements from the Ministry of Social Development, Labor and Welfare highlighting that the AOV has increased to XCG 1,000. She maintains that the increase should not be portrayed as a government favor because indexation is established by law.
The opposition MP further claims that Curaçao Parliament has still not received legislation formally establishing the increase to XCG 1,000.
Mc William said MAN-PIN will continue pushing both for the disputed indexation and for the AOV to eventually reach XCG 1,500 per month, an amount that has featured prominently in the political debate over pension benefits.
She also accused the governing MFK of inconsistency, referring to its earlier support for legislation connected to proposals to increase the AOV to XCG 1,500.
Mc William called on the government to stop treating pension increases as political favors and instead ensure that elderly residents receive what they are legally entitled to under the AOV system.
“AOV is a right, not a favor,” she reiterated.