The Politician in Carnival   16 February 2026   Carnival as we know it today began in 1970, in the aftermath of 30 May 1969. It formed part of a broader effort to strengthen social cohesion. In that sense, it succeeded. Carnival became a space where differences temporarily faded and the community could celebrate itself.   In the early years, politics kept its distance. As far as I recall, Mrs. Lucina DaCosta Gomez was among the first to participate visibly in the mid-1970s. S

8% Poor? Or a Comfortable Figure?   14 February 2026   According to the recent report of the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek , 7.9% of the population is multidimensionally poor. At the same time, 30.4% of households live below the income poverty line. That difference is not a detail. It is politically relevant.   The Comfortable Number A poverty rate of 8% sounds manageable. It suggests the problem is concentrated, contained, and controllable. For politicians, that is a re

And then there is this   14 February 2026   I read two news items side by side, and I cannot reconcile them.   In the Antilliaans Dagblad  it was reported that medical specialists are now officially allowed to earn more. That would make it easier to attract and retain them here. In itself, that is understandable. Good specialists are scarce. Competition with the Netherlands and the region is strong. If we want high-quality healthcare, we must be willing to pay for it. I whole

Democracy Without Opposition?; Barbados   14 February 2026   The recent election outcome in Barbados is striking. For the third consecutive time, the Barbados Labour Party led by Mia Mottley has won every seat in parliament — a 30–0 clean sweep. Historic, impressive, and unsettling at the same time.   The result reflects the high level of public trust in Mottley’s leadership. In times of economic uncertainty and broader crises, voters increasingly gravitate toward strong lead