Uncharted Waters

Uncharted Waters

5 October 2025

I used to love Sundays, especially from undisclosed locations. They bring calm—you don’t have to think, at least not in the usual way. The mind continues to work, but in a different way. It observes. It sees.

And what I see now, more clearly than ever, is that Curaçao is in uncharted waters. We are facing situations we’ve never encountered before—such as power being exercised in a democracy governed by a single-party government. Maybe it’s unrelated, perhaps not—but the recent clash between a minister and a top civil servant shows something more profound: a culture of fear inside the system.

After I wrote recently that democracy should free us from fear within the public service, a friend reacted. He said he no longer believes in the option. Others agreed. Some fear that violence is the only language left; others put their faith in the power of prayer.

And then another friend texted me about the same incident. “It’s not just fear,” he said. “It’s a confrontation between two blocks of corruption.” Those were his words. But they stuck with me.

At the same time, I read a troubling report: the Attorney General warned of a sharp rise in psychotic patients while our mental healthcare system is failing to keep up—despite the opening of a new crisis center earlier this year.

Many may not see it yet, but I fear we are creating a sick society—sick in every sense: physically, mentally, morally, and socially. Look at the so-called “incident” between the minister and the top official—an understatement. Children saw that.

Even those who were ten years old in 2005 have grown up with a distorted view of our reality. And now, the children who are ten or older today are witnessing the same decay. They are learning that power means shouting, that leadership means intimidation, and that corruption is the norm.

We have a big problem.

But the good news remains: we can still fix this—if we get a hold of ourselves.

Miguel Goede