A Speech That Endures   2 January 2026   I did not plan to blog today. This year, I intend to write only when there is something worth saying. Yet the Prime Minister’s New Year’s speech stayed with me — not because it inspired me, but because it did not.   Years ago, I wrote about the importance of speeches and how seriously they are underestimated here. Great leaders understand that words matter. Some speeches transcend their moment: Queen Wilhelmina in 1942, Abraham Lincoln

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

Happy Birthday, Health Is the New Wealth   31 December 2025   By now, Facebook and LinkedIn have reminded everyone that today is my birthday. Thank you for the many congratulations I have already received. For me, my birthday is, of course, more important than celebrating the end of the year. So far, I have marked the day quietly, together with my wife and children.   Omayra Leeflang wrote: Happy and healthy New Year.  And that’s exactly right: health is the new wealth .   Ma

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

2025   December 28, 2025   Sitting on a Sunday, taking stock of the year. This is done, but it’s too long for a blog. In many ways, 2025 feels like 2020, the year of the pandemic. Everything is somewhat on hold, waiting to see what comes of the confrontation between Trump and Maduro. It is also the year we mark fifteen years of autonomy within the Kingdom — though there is little to celebrate. For the first time, we are governed by a single party. Corruption has been widely d

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

Wishing You an Early Merry Christmas   23 December 2025   All stories continue to unfold. Trump has now boarded a third oil tanker. Russia and China have announced that they will support Maduro should Trump decide to attack. The government stresses that there is no immediate danger, yet simultaneously launches a campaign encouraging people to assemble emergency kits. A good idea. One wonders why this was not done at the start of the hurricane season.   Locally, discussions co

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.

Communication, communication, communication   20 December 2025   Communication, communication, communication.For years, it has been repeated almost to the point of cliché in every course on change or transformation management. For me, it has long since become a platitude. Precisely for that reason, its absence is so striking.   Back in 2020 and 2021, I wrote about policy instruments . Traditionally, these include legislation and regulation, financial arrangements such as taxe

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

Wait a Minute   18 December 2025   It is one week before Christmas. Last night, it was abruptly announced that Trump would deliver a national address. Like many others, I assumed he was about to escalate his “war” with Maduro, especially after the news that, the day before, he had effectively “banned” all oil tankers.   Instead, the speech took a different turn. Trump spoke about his eleven months in office, about the mess Biden allegedly left behind, and about how well he hi

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