WILLEMSTAD – More than one-third of the supervisory board positions at Curaçao's government-owned companies and government foundations are currently vacant, raising concerns about oversight and governance, according to the Supervisory Board Advisor (SBTNO).
The latest overview shows that 71 of the 207 commissioner positions across government entities are unfilled, leaving approximately 34 percent of all available seats vacant.
Several organizations are facing particularly serious shortages.
According to SBTNO, the Curaçao Development Institute currently has no supervisory board members at all, despite its board being required to consist of three commissioners.
At Autobusbedrijf Curaçao (ABC) and the Analytical Diagnostic Center (ADC), four of the five supervisory board seats are vacant.
Fundashon Wega di Number Kòrsou and Fundashon Perspektiva i Sosten Integral each have only one of their five commissioner positions filled.
Meanwhile, Curinde, Fundashon Kas Popular, the Gaming Control Board and the Curaçao Informatics Promotion Plan each have approximately 60 percent of their supervisory board seats vacant.
SBTNO described both the scale and duration of the vacancies as a matter of concern.
According to the watchdog, insufficiently staffed supervisory boards can weaken oversight, reduce the quality of decision-making and threaten the continuity of government-owned entities.
The advisory body noted that the departure of commissioners is usually known well in advance through established rotation schedules, meaning that many prolonged vacancies could have been avoided through timely succession planning.
Only unexpected resignations or early departures, SBTNO said, would justify temporary vacancies.
The overview is based on information obtained from the Curaçao Chamber of Commerce. SBTNO noted, however, that the registry is not always fully up to date because appointments and resignations are sometimes registered late. As a result, the actual occupancy of some supervisory boards may differ from the published figures.