Happy 2026   1 January 2026   Yesterday we celebrated the turn of the year in grand style. It is unique and in no way inferior to any other celebration.   What kind of year was 2025? It was a year of political chaos, of a social system that is no longer sustainable, of growing geopolitical tensions — and at the same time the year in which we, as the smallest country ever, qualified for the 2026 World Cup.   What will 2026 bring? First and foremost, a continuation of 2025. We

The Home of the Middle Class   30 December 2025   I previously wrote that house, garden, and family are no longer the reality they once were ( huisje-boompje-beestje ). Today, a house is primarily an investment. But that is another discussion.   The reality is that it has become nearly impossible for a Curaçaoan to buy a home unless he or she can finance half a million. As a result, Curaçao now has hardly any middle class left. Around 80% of the population lives on about 3,00

How was 2025 economically? Measuring is not knowing. Numbers don’t tell the whole story   December 29, 2025   I looked at what the Central Bank, CBS, and IMF say about Curaçao’s economy in 2025. The picture they paint is strikingly positive—but it clashes with my own experience of life on the island. It confirms my aversion to data fetishism : measuring is not the same as knowing.   According to the CBCS , CBS , and IMF , the economy grew strongly ( ±3–4% ), driven mainly by

Poverty Reduction Requires More Indexation of the Minimum Wage Is Not Enough   27 December 2025   It is The Third Day of Christmas , a Saturday. I was surprised to see a newspaper today, as I had assumed the next edition would only appear on Monday, 29 December. In the paper, I read about three Christmas speeches: those of the governor, the king, and the pope. I also saw the speech of the lieutenant governor of Bonaire, and honestly, I found his contribution strong; he clearl

Christmas and the Established Order   26 December 2025   This Christmas, once again, I listened carefully to three speeches — three Christmas messages: those of the Pope, the King, and the Governor. For both the Pope and the Governor, it was their first Christmas address. What stands out is the striking overlap between the three.   All three refer to conflict, particularly international conflicts. The Pope spoke explicitly about (world) peace — or rather, its absence. About w

Blessed Christmas   25 December 2025   That Jesus was not born on 25 December is well established historically. This does not diminish the fact that his birth is commemorated on this date.   The question of Jesus’ historical existence is largely settled among historians. Non-Christian sources such as Tacitus, Josephus, and Suetonius refer to Jesus (or Christus ), his execution under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Emperor Tiberius, and the emergence of an early Christian m

Not Fit for the Screen   24 December 2025   I listen to local television more than I watch it, usually until about nine o’clock. On Mondays, I watch a bit longer, tuning in to Jürgen’s programme. Last night, however, I found myself watching more than usual while I was actually just listening. And I noticed something: a trend.   Christmas messages have become short films. Many of them are well-made. They come from banks, government-owned companies, ministers, and the Parliamen

Living Together   22 December 2025   Christmas is, above all, a time when people come together: the immediate family, relatives, friends—everyone, really. We live together; we are a society. Or at least, we used to be. For a long time, Christmas seemed to be the only remaining moment when we truly gathered. I noticed this years ago in the Netherlands: simply aligning schedules to be together had become a challenge in itself.   Yesterday, I watched the television program Buite

We Are Simply Worn Down   21 December 2025   It is Sunday — Christmas is on Thursday. It felt as though we still had time, but suddenly it is right in front of us. The past week drove me mad with its pace, not only in traffic. Everyone is late, and I myself am running out of time. Today, miraculously, it is quiet — unmistakably the calm before the storm.   In the meantime, Jurgen has invited me as a guest on his television programme on 29 December , to analyze the year 2025.

Visions, Vision, Vision; Shared Vision   20 December 2025   “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,” Sir Isaac Newton wrote in a letter in 1675.   That quote came to mind when I read in the newspaper that the government—read: the Prime Minister—has once again launched a vision trajectory . In December, no less, it is traditionally the busiest month of the year. As if timing were irrelevant.   Vision trajectories are certainly not new in Curaçao.

Apologies Must Be Accepted, and Forgiveness Granted 19 December 2025   Recently, I learned that a square near Groningen’s central railway station has been named after Tula, the leader of the 1795 slave revolt on Curaçao. It is a symbolic yet meaningful act: a public acknowledgment of courage, resistance, and the historical pain associated with the shared colonial past.   Just days earlier, Brian Hooi became world champion in one of the major combat sports during a title figh

Data Is the New Oil   17 December 2025   “Data is the new oil” is a phrase we have been hearing for quite some time. It is reflected clearly in the rankings of the world’s most valuable companies. Where oil conglomerates once dominated the top positions, those positions are now occupied by technology- and data-driven firms—or companies closely connected to them, such as semiconductor manufacturers (The Economist, 2017).   Recently, during an interview, a journalist caught me

What Now?   16 December 2025   Dark clouds are gathering over the island—literally and figuratively. The political game seems, for the moment, beyond our control. Aircraft crisscross our airspace, sometimes without transponders. Commercial pilots report near collisions. Experts tell me that, in practice, the situation is under control—fighter jets do not fly blind. Perhaps so. Still, the sense of uncertainty remains.   For now, it is mostly a matter of waiting in the tense an

How Was the Price Created — and Who Is Paying It Now?   15 December 2025   Today is Kingdom Charter Day ( Statuut Dag ). On 15 December 1954, the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands was signed, thereby establishing autonomy for the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname. Suriname marked fifty years of independence on 25 November 2025. Curaçao and the other islands commemorated fifteen years since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October — fifteen years as a

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