The Only Time You Look Down on Someone   13 November 2025   There’s a quote that says: “The only time you look down on a man is to uplift him.”   I’m not a fan of theories that explain everything through the lens of colonialism and slavery. I admitted that again to a colleague from the Netherlands last Monday. In fact, I have an aversion to them because they tend to put people in a permanent victim role. And yet, it is not a theory we can throw away.   You see, there’s someth

Better Turn Back Halfway Than Go Completely Astray   12 November 2025   The Dutch saying “ Liever ten halve gekeerd dan ten hele gedwaald ” means it’s better to turn back halfway than to persist in the wrong direction. That thought came to me this morning when I came across two news items.   The first was about the University of Curaçao, which is now focusing on planetary health and health in general — a promising direction. Yet only in September, the same university was caug

Dead Tired   12 November 12   Some days feel exhausting before they even begin. You feel it in your body — but also around you, in conversations, in faces, in the air. Yesterday, I woke up already tired. Maybe because I had to be at the gym early with my trainer. After that, I had to leave my PC at the repair shop. Meanwhile, I’m trying to arrange how — not tomorrow, but soon — I’ll have to be on another island for a job. I’m postponing the car wash until Saturday — hopefully

Ecoliberalism   10 November 2025   In a world struggling with burnout, inequality, and ecological collapse, we are all searching for a way forward. I’m writing a bit late today—not only because I had more appointments outside the house than I would have liked, but also because I had to make my way through Kees Klomp’s book Ecoliberalisme: Een veranderverhaal over ware vrijheid  (Ecoliberalism: A Transformative Story About True Freedom).   Klomp, known for his work on the mean

AI Rises as Democracy Falls   November 2025   Artificial Intelligence is rising while democracy is declining. The question is: is there a correlation? Across the globe, democracy is eroding and authoritarianism is gaining ground. Meanwhile, leaders pay lip service to the ideals of a “human-centric society” and “shared prosperity.”   The crucial question is whether AI will strengthen democracy—or undermine it. What we see today is that AI provides the very tools that enable au

Our Institutions: How Did It Come to This?   8 November 2025   Institutions are made up of people, and people make up society. Institutions form the pillars of both the rule of law and our social order. They are, in essence, the solidified expression of our shared values.   But over the past fifteen years, those institutions have weakened. The reason is simple, yet devastating: people who do not stand for the values of the institutions have entered them — and, worse, risen to

At the Level of Beasts   7 November 2025   I’m sitting in a Colombian café, waiting for a strong breakfast before meeting my personal trainer. As I sip my coffee, I feel the urge to connect a few loose threads—because many still don’t seem to see what’s right in front of us.   A tragedy has unfolded in our zoo. Nearly all the animals have died; the few survivors are wasting away in neglect. The details are hazy, but it seems public funds were mishandled. This, in a country th

The Waters of the Caribbean Sea   November 6, 2025   Yesterday afternoon, I attended the DCNA & CARMABI Water Quality Symposium — a thoughtful event about the health of our seas, coral reefs, and the fragile balance of marine ecosystems in the Dutch Caribbean. Researchers and policymakers discussed data, innovations, and collaborations aimed at improving water quality. Important work, and vital for our islands’ future.   Yet, as I listened, my mind drifted to another associat

Mi Kas Awor, Mi Casa Ya   November 6, 2025   Today’s newspaper once again features glossy photos of new luxury housing projects breaking ground — this time the Lake View Residence  at Rif St. Marie. Beautiful images, shining promises, polished headlines.   But let’s keep our feet on the ground: 80% of Curaçaoan households have less than 5,000 guilders to spend, and 30% live below the poverty line.   For that 80% of our population, only castles in the air are being built. Mean

AOV: Expense or Investment?   5 November 2025   We talk about pensions as if they are a burden — but what if they are actually a boost? The current debate about indexing and increasing the AOV (old-age pension) is far too one-sided. Everyone seems to focus on how to finance it. But if we take a broader view, this is really about the poverty of a new group — the new poor: our pensioners.   What’s missing is the other side of the ledger — the positive effect on purchasing power

Beyond Procedures: Reflections on Democracy in Curaçao   4 November 2025   On Thursday, October 30, 2025, I spoke on Radio Direct with Mr. Sparen. Every three or four months, he calls me to discuss political reflections on current affairs. This time, the topic was the controversy surrounding the tax authorities — the conflict between the (then) Minister and the Receiver of Taxes ( Landsontvanger ), and the Public Prosecutor’s Office launching an investigation that ultimately

Beyond the Crisis   3 November 2025   It’s Sunday, November 2, as I prepare my writing for Monday. Sunday inevitably turns into Monday, and every week begins with the same choice: look back or move forward. I could, once again, hit the reset button and revisit the crises of recent weeks — the political crisis, the climate crisis, the integrity crisis, and the inequality crisis. But the thought of doing so wears me out. Instead, I decide to move ahead and open one of the books

The Pension Paradox   2 November 2025   On Friday, October 31, 2025, an extensive group of AOV recipients (pensioners, by Curaçaoan standards) gathered in front of the Ministry of SOAW to demand the legally mandated indexation of their AOV benefits. Their protest was entirely justified — it’s not a favor they’re asking for; it’s their right. The AOV is low, inflation is high, and pensioners have quietly become the new poor — probably the largest group of poor people on the is

The Myth of Integrity in Curaçao’s Financial Sector   1 November 2025   Curaçao likes to present itself as a reliable financial center. Now and then, we hear about new strategies to promote “integrity,” new codes of conduct for banks, trust offices, and online gaming companies, and conferences where experts explain the importance of ethics for the island.   A recent article in the Antilliaans Dagblad  highlighted this renewed focus on integrity in Curaçao’s financial sector (

Society 5.0 and the New Social Contract in the Age of Artificial Intelligence   31 October 2025 Yesterday, I attended another international conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI). What struck me is that many scholars are finally converging on an idea I have been emphasizing for years: S ociety 5.0 — a human-centered society empowered by technology, including AI.   This vision requires a new social contract — one that redefines not only the relationship between citizens an

Quick First Reaction to the Dutch Elections   October 30, 2025   I don’t plan to spend much energy on the Dutch elections — my focus lies elsewhere — but here are a few brief remarks.   It’s a good thing that Schoof is stepping down as prime minister; he was not an elected politician. What stands out most is that NSC went from 20 to 0 seats. To me, that means more than just the departure of its leader — the party had no natural place in a right-wing coalition.   All parties f

Coincidence Does Not Exist   29 October 2025   Yesterday, I wrote a piece titled 13 . It was about the one-party government that now holds an absolute majority—13 out of 21 seats in Parliament. And then today, while cleaning a shelf in my library, I stumbled upon a book I hadn’t seen in years: Kiesstelsels en hun consequenties: Op zoek naar een alternatief kiesstelsel voor Curaçao (“Electoral Systems and Their Consequences: In Search of an Alternative Electoral System for Cu

13   28 October 2025   The number 13 is often considered unlucky. In the last elections, the ruling party aimed for a majority with 12 seats—but ended up with 13. Misfortune came disguised as fortune, rather than the other way around. Another numerical saying comes to mind: " 12 ambachten, 13 ongelukken " ("12 trades, 13 mishaps"). Observing the number of political and administrative missteps here, I am reminded of this Dutch proverb. I am thinking, for instance, of a parliam

Bon Siman   27 October 2025   As I’ve explained before, we might be the only people who wish each other a good week every Monday — Bon siman . It’s a beautiful habit, really. It also serves a purpose: a kind of reset. It signals that a new cycle begins, full of new chances. I wish others a good week because I also wish it for myself.   After a weekend, it’s hard to recall all that happened the week before — the whirlwind surrounding taxes: assessments, objections, arrangemen

The Bridge Still Stands   26 October 2025   On Friday, October 24, 2025, the bridge was suddenly closed. I first noticed it when people who are never late showed up late. They explained they had to take a detour because the bridge was shut down without warning. A press release soon followed: “Closed for inspection until further notice.” Yet, before lunchtime, it was reopened.   Later it turned out that the immediate problem wasn’t the bridge itself but cracks in the road abov