Participation, Dialogue

Participation, Dialogue

11 September 2026

I see that, on Aruba, the pressures created by overdeveloped tourism are increasingly putting different groups at odds with one another. Environmental groups want to ban ATVs and other non-standard vehicles used for off-road tourist excursions along the north coast. The businesses offering these services argue that this threatens their livelihoods, while the government finds itself caught between the two sides. Legal proceedings have taken place, and the court has urged the parties to enter into dialogue and find a compromise.

I see this happening more and more on Curaçao as well. The parties involved in the high-rise development at Zakito are now before the courts. The same applies to the pods at Jan Thiel. Meanwhile, I have received an invitation to attend a presentation on the development of Plasa in downtown Punda. It reminds me of the town hall meeting about the development of Caracasbaai. As expected, we have heard nothing more about that.

On Bonaire, too, there is active discussion and work on participation and dialogue. The influence of the Netherlands, which has more experience with participatory processes, will undoubtedly play a role. But what we see on all three islands is that, as development intensifies, people’s interests increasingly collide. People therefore need to participate in decision-making, and competing interests need to be carefully weighed against one another.

We do not have a strong tradition of doing this, but the pressure, particularly as a result of economic development, is forcing us into dialogue. It is a real challenge, because everything seems to suggest that the government, whether or not it has listened to everyone involved, ultimately simply makes its decision. Consider, for example, how recommendations concerning the appointment of supervisory board members are simply disregarded.

So there is still a long way to go, and it will be a process of trial and error.

Miguel Goede