WILLEMSTAD – Some written questions submitted by Members of the Curaçao Parliament have remained unanswered for more than a year, despite an agreement that ministers should generally respond within two months.
The latest parliamentary overview of unanswered questions shows that the problem is not limited to a growing number of new inquiries. Many questions that were already overdue months ago continue to remain unanswered.
At the end of June, the government had accumulated a backlog of 96 unanswered written questions, compared with 73 at the end of March.
One of the clearest examples is the Ministry of Finance.
At the end of the first quarter, Finance had eight unanswered parliamentary questions. Three months later, all eight were still outstanding. Instead of reducing the backlog, another four questions were added, bringing the ministry's total to 12.
General Affairs shows a similar pattern. The ministry, which falls under the Prime Minister, had the largest overall backlog at the end of June, with 20 unanswered questions. Almost all of its older outstanding questions remained on the list.
The oldest unanswered question in the parliamentary overview dates from May 19, 2025.
By June 30, 2026, it had been waiting for a response for 408 days — more than five times the agreed two-month response period.
The question was submitted by MPs G.M. Mc William and S.F.C. Camelia-Römer and concerns Curaçao's position within the Kingdom Council of Ministers regarding the situation in Gaza.
The prolonged delays raise broader questions about the effectiveness of Parliament's ability to obtain information from the executive branch.
Written parliamentary questions are one of the instruments available to MPs to scrutinize government policy, request information from ministers and hold the executive accountable.
A protocol between Parliament and the government provides ministers with approximately two months to answer such questions. If the deadline passes without a response, the President of Parliament is supposed to send the responsible minister a written reminder.
Parliamentary President Frits Brownbill also provides the Prime Minister with a quarterly overview of unanswered questions. The latest such overview was issued on July 6.
Despite those procedures, the backlog increased by almost 32 percent during the second quarter.
The problem is spread across several ministries. General Affairs had 20 unanswered questions at the end of June, Justice 19, Health, Environment and Nature 15, and Finance 12.
The increase at GMN was particularly pronounced, rising from nine unanswered questions at the end of March to 15 three months later. Justice increased from 15 to 19.
The questions are not limited to minor administrative matters. They concern subjects including healthcare, taxes, infrastructure, crime and problems within government institutions.
At Justice, for example, MPs are still awaiting responses on vehicle thefts, problems within the justice system and responsibility for the JJIC youth detention facility.
The figures suggest that reminders alone have not been enough to ensure compliance with the agreed response period. With older questions remaining unresolved while new ones continue to arrive, Parliament's latest overview shows that the gap between the questions being asked and the answers being provided is widening rather than narrowing.