WILLEMSTAD – PAR Member of Parliament Shaheen Elhage has raised concerns about the publication of new immigration policy rules that were released only in Dutch, questioning their accessibility in Curaçao’s multilingual society.
Elhage submitted questions to Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas regarding an announcement dated April 3, outlining changes that had already taken effect on April 1.
According to the MP, the lack of translations into other commonly used languages on the island could limit public understanding of the new rules. He warned that this may affect residents’ ability to comply with the updated regulations.
Curaçao is a multilingual society where Papiamentu, English, Spanish, and Dutch are widely spoken. Elhage argued that official government communication should reflect this reality to ensure equal access to important information.
He is now calling on the government to publish similar announcements in multiple languages in the future, specifically requesting that information be made available in Papiamentu, English, Spanish, and French.
The government has not yet publicly responded to the questions.