You Hear Very Little   15 November 2025   It is Monday afternoon, and I still haven’t put my blog down on paper. Not because I am busy speaking to the media about the crisis between the US and Venezuela. Nor because I am carefully formulating my criticism of the volume marking fifteen years of autonomy in Curaçao. Incidentally, today is Statuut Day, the day in 1954 when the Charter was signed, and the islands' autonomy effectively began. After 10-10-10, that autonomy was main

Air and Sea Movements in the Caribbean   13 December 2025   It has been a heavy week. December naturally brings the year's accumulated fatigue. Still, the most significant mental blow came with the news that the Americans transported the Venezuelan opposition leader via Curaçao to Oslo. Suddenly, the island finds itself caught in the conflict between Trump and Maduro. In a sense, it could be interpreted as if Curaçao had chosen sides—and the Prime Minister made it clear that

In the Eye of the Coming Storm   December 12, 2025   Lunchtime has long passed, but for me, it will be a very late lunch.   It’s Friday the 12th. Less than two weeks before Christmas, yet there is no holiday spirit in the air. In my surroundings, people have abruptly awakened from the sleep and the dream that everything here is “fine in paradise.” Since it became known that the Nobel Prize laureate reached Oslo via Curaçao, the island has been on edge. The prime minister stat

That Is Fascism   10 December 2025   The title comes from the book by Rosan Smits. For me, it is somewhat confusing because I tend to frame the phenomenon slightly differently. Smits says: Worldwide, fascism is re-emerging  (Smits, 2025) . I say: Worldwide, democracy is under pressure and authoritarianism is on the rise.  Experts worldwide are sounding the alarm. The advance of fascism is tied to crises and the search for scapegoats. According to Smits, many people fail to r

New Public Brutalism: Wat wij kunnen leren   10 december 2025   Hans Berggraaf recently sent me a link to the article New Public Brutalism  Deserves Attention – Part I (Van Twist, Berg, & Van der Meer, 2025). He assumed I was already familiar with the concept, and he was right: I follow the NSOB, where one of the authors, Mark van Twist, serves as dean. I occasionally meet him during my visits to Paul Frissen.   The core of this idea aligns with what I have often tried to ill

Jesus Is the Reason for the Season   December 13, 2025   The Christmas lights have been switched on in neighborhoods across the island. What stands out is not only how beautiful they are, but how little they reflect the Christian character of the holiday. Judging by the decorations, Christmas has become a secular, commercial celebration. With some imagination, you could say that the many stars still reference the Star of Bethlehem, but I have not seen a single nativity scene

Local Entrepreneurs versus FDI: a Battle We Are Losing   8 December 2025   We praise entrepreneurship. But often it is nothing more than lip service. The reality is very different.   SME policy is not just a paper tiger; it is a façade behind which a kind of hell is hidden.   Anyone who starts a business enters more than a Kafkaesque nightmare. Take the recent case of Eric. Twenty years ago, out of necessity, he began his ATV tour company. The government “informally” assigned

Tula the Martyr?   December 7 2025   Martyr. The original meaning: someone who sacrifices their life or is persecuted for their faith, as in Christianity or Islam. For some time, I’ve been carrying a thought that has only grown stronger. It became especially clear a few years ago when I purchased and read the original collection of primary documents on the Curaçao slave revolt of 1795 at the Central Historical Archive. I spent a lot of time on the report by Pastor Jacobus Sch

In Search of Meaning or God   6 December 2025   In recent years, I’ve noticed more and more people turning to a particular genre of books—let’s call it self-help . Guru-like authors with massive followings who sell their books and online products, culminating in a stadium event somewhere in the United States with thousands of devoted attendees.   Their message revolves around the universe, energy, frequencies, consciousness, and similar concepts. In many ways, it mirrors reli

Being Able to Express an Opinion   4 December 2025   You only realize how important it is to express your opinion once that right is denied. The first time I became fully aware of this was in 2020, during a conversation with a relatively young politician from a party that presented itself as the radical alternative. The group included many young people. They had good ideas, but some views needed refinement. I asked the politician if he wanted to hear my opinion. His answer wa

From Living to Earning   3 December 2025   Since the post-pandemic economic upswing—driven by tourism and construction—the real estate market has overheated. I was one of the first to point out that locals were being priced out. Not everyone appreciated that observation. Later, the numbers confirmed it.   Today, it has even led to protests. But that is not why I’m writing. Recently, another letter from a realtor appeared in the mailbox: there is interest in buying our homes.

How Does an Optimist Read the Newspaper? Or: How Should He Read It?   2 December 2025   An optimist sees life through a positive lens and believes in a good outcome, even in difficult situations. Setbacks are viewed as temporary obstacles or opportunities to learn. Where a pessimist sees the glass as half empty, the optimist notes that at least it’s still half full. Positive outlook:  an optimist approaches the future with hope and confidence. Setbacks:  obstacles are challen

Saturday after Black Friday   30 November 2025   It’s the Saturday after Black Friday. It’s 29 November. People haven’t just been paid; many also received a bonus. I don’t know exactly what the shopping crowds were like yesterday — I didn’t hear anything. But the traffic was a disaster. The commercial areas of the island were completely jammed, and that’s no longer limited to the city center. All the main roads are now in the hands of commerce.   Saturday looks very different

Nothing New Under the Sun   29 November 2025   It’s a cloudy, rainy morning, so the title has nothing to do with the weather. The reason is something else: this week I attended the climate conference organized by the CCCP of the Meteorological Service, and this morning I read that at another event the investment agency stated that attracting investors “is all about contacts.” Looking back, I stumbled upon a blog I wrote almost exactly a year ago: Too many conferences, too lit

Worries on Black Friday   28 November 2025   Apparently, it’s Black Friday. I have nothing to do with it. I don’t like crowds, and I tend toward minimalism: as little as possible, only what is necessary and functional. Of all the celebrations we’ve imported over the years, the only one I relate to is Thanksgiving – there is always something to be grateful for. I connect least with Halloween: a mix of old Celtic and Christian traditions that mark the transition to winter and t

Den of Thieves (roversnest), Kleptomania, Kleptocracy   26 November 2025   What concerns me is the report that a shipbuilder bribed the port authority’s leadership. The case is now before the court, according to media reports based on documents from the Public Prosecutor. For years, I believed that people in such positions would never engage in this kind of behavior. Others carried the stigma of corruption. But increasingly, corruption seems to be everywhere—look at Ennia, Gi

Our Human Capital   26 November 2025   A human being is a human being, yet in economics, we have reduced people to a resource. This way of thinking—people as means—has become dominant. Human interaction is treated as a transaction; a tit-for-tat society. Much as this bothers me, I will go along with it for the sake of argument.   Besides sun and sea, Curaçao really has only one trustworthy resource: its people. The World Cup qualification proved this once again. It’s about ta

Sometimes Courage Falters and Hope Fades   24 november 2025   On November 12, 2025, I wrote: “Better to turn halfway than to go completely astray.”  This was in response to the announcement that economic policy would be adjusted to respect nature and heritage. For a brief moment, it seemed as if a genuine shift in direction was underway.   Now we have yet another new Minister of Economic Development. Although the policy has been in place for years—both on paper and in practic

Diaspora is Gold   22 November 2025   What Curaçao’s qualification for the World Cup once again proves is that the diaspora is literally gold. You win the grand prize with it. The current squad consists entirely of boys born in the Netherlands to parents with Curaçaoan roots. And we have known that the diaspora can deliver gold ever since sprinter Churandy Martina shone under the Dutch flag and even carried that flag at the 2021 Games.   Diaspora is not a widely used term on

You Only See It Once You Get It (Je gaat het pas zien als je het doorhebt)   21 November 2025   The title is a famous quote by Johan Cruijff, which Pieter Winsemius chose for his leadership book in 2004. Pieter was not only a partner at McKinsey but also a leading figure in the VVD and even served as a minister on behalf of the party. A fascinating man, when I first met him, not in person. Only twenty years later did I discover that he was the son of Albert Winsemius, the arc