WILLEMSTAD – Additional government revenue should trigger a fundamental discussion about Curaçao's priorities, according to PAR Member of Parliament Shaheen Elhage, who wants the government to explain whether budget surpluses are being used to strengthen pensions, social protection and the economic security of the population.
Elhage raised the issue in a 23-question letter sent on August 17 to Minister of Social Development, Labor and Welfare Charetti America-Francisca.
Rather than treating additional revenue merely as a positive financial result, Elhage argues that a surplus gives the government room to make political choices that directly affect the population’s welfare.
He links that decision-making to Article 23 of Curaçao’s Constitution, which places security of existence, distribution of prosperity and welfare among the responsibilities of government.
Elhage wants the government to disclose what criteria it uses to determine how additional revenues are spent and how it assesses whether those choices are consistent with its constitutional social responsibilities.
He also asks how the government weighs additional structural expenditures, including personnel costs, against competing needs such as strengthening the AOV old-age pension system, healthcare, education, poverty reduction and economic development.
The question is particularly relevant because structural spending commitments can continue long after a temporary revenue windfall has disappeared.
Elhage therefore asks whether, during a period of structural poverty and population aging, government surpluses should first be considered for strengthening Curaçao's social and economic resilience before the government assumes new structural expenditures.
AOV under scrutiny
A significant portion of the letter focuses on Curaçao's social security system and particularly the AOV.
Article 23 also requires social security entitlements to be regulated by national ordinance. Elhage questions whether the existing system remains adequate for Curaçao's present social, economic and demographic circumstances.
The Council of Advice, according to the letter, has also referred to the discussion about better connecting the AOV benefit to the minimum level required for basic living expenses.
Elhage wants the minister to disclose how many AOV recipients currently live below or near the poverty line and what concrete measures the government intends to take to keep the pension system financially sustainable while guaranteeing elderly residents a dignified standard of living.
He also asks what legislative reforms are being prepared to modernize social security and how Curaçao's aging population is being incorporated into those plans.
The PAR parliamentarian additionally brings his party's own election proposal into the discussion. PAR proposed increasing the AOV and suggested that revenue from the tourist entry fee, together with tax reform and expansion of the tax system, could potentially contribute toward financing increases in both AOV and social assistance.
Elhage now wants to know whether the government has evaluated those financing options and, if not, why not.
Who qualifies for assistance but does not receive it?
The letter also raises a separate question about whether people legally entitled to government assistance are actually receiving it.
Article 23 recognizes, under conditions established by law, a right to government assistance for Dutch nationals residing in Curaçao who cannot provide for themselves.
Elhage argues that this means it is not enough for a social assistance system simply to exist on paper. Eligible residents must also be able to access it in practice.
He consequently asks the government how many people who meet the legal criteria actually receive social assistance and how many residents with social needs do not make use of available programs.
The minister is also being asked whether bureaucracy, insufficient information or complicated procedures are preventing vulnerable residents from accessing benefits to which they may be entitled, and what SOAW is doing to remove those barriers.
Finally, Elhage wants an update on the modernization of Curaçao's social assistance system and a date by which Parliament can expect to see the final results of that process.
The broader issue raised by the letter is how Curaçao translates improving government finances into measurable improvements in household economic security. Elhage argues that financial priorities should ultimately be judged not only by what government spends, but by what changes residents experience in their daily lives.