Reflecting on Freedom Day
May 5, 2024
It is May 5th, 3014. It is Liberation Day or Day of Freedom. At the very least, we are reflecting on peace and freedom. However, it is also a day that marks a dark page in Curacao's democracy, the day a parliamentarian was murdered in 2013.
Last year, we discussed the war in Ukraine, aware that more conflicts were looming, but no one foresaw the conflict in the Middle East. It is a cloudy day on Curaçao, and it is dry on the east side of the island, where we are. However, on the west side, the island's most beautiful beaches have been battered by rain. The effects of climate change have brought an unprecedented amount of rain in a short period. Not only have many residents suffered, but this is a blow to our almost sole economic pillar, tourism. The unbridled construction of recent years has undoubtedly been a contributing factor.
At the same time, I am pondering how to help all the people around me living below the poverty line and what a structural solution might be. The streets are getting quieter, and more people are losing hope. However, there is no alternative but to keep going. We must try a different approach. The essence is more unity and less individualism. The problems are so significant and complex that we can only hope to turn the tide by working together, and we must start now.
Miguel Goede
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