WILLEMSTAD – Member of Parliament Shaheen Elhage (PAR) has requested that Parliament President Fergino Brownbill forward a letter to Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas asking for a concrete response regarding an open letter submitted in July 2025 about Curaçao’s independent position and the government’s responsibilities under international law.
Elhage submitted the request under Article 96 of the Rules of Order of the Curaçao Parliament. In his letter dated July 27, 2026, he asked that the matter be placed before the Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs.
The issue concerns an earlier request submitted to the Curaçao government by eight local organizations, including medical organizations, human rights groups and other representatives of civil society. According to Elhage, the organizations asked the government to evaluate Curaçao’s obligations under international law in relation to a Dutch government request concerning products originating from territories illegally occupied by Israel.
The open letter requested that the Curaçao government consider the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024, and determine whether Curaçao’s trade policies and public procurement practices should be adjusted accordingly. Elhage stated that, to date, no public response has been issued addressing the arguments presented in the letter.
Elhage is asking the government to provide a concrete response to the concerns raised, explain how the request was evaluated and whether a legal assessment was conducted, and publish Curaçao’s legal and policy evaluation regarding the Dutch request.
The PAR parliamentarian also requested that any future decisions be based on an independent assessment by Curaçao, with transparent consideration of all relevant interests.
According to Elhage, autonomy is not only the ability to make independent decisions, but also the responsibility of a government to seriously consider requests from its own population, evaluate them carefully and provide clear explanations for its decisions.
He is calling on the government to address the concerns raised, publish its evaluation and inform the public about the actions it intends to take.