State of the Nation

September 16, 2024

The Antilliaans Dagblad newspaper of Saturday, September 14, 2024, paints a stark picture of our society's current state. Where we will stand in a year or so is a matter of guesswork and scenarios. Yet one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the future looks bleak if we stay on this path.

Take the headline, "SVB over twee jaar in de min" (SVB will be in deficit in two years). The collapse of our social security system is no longer a vague fear; it now comes with a deadline. Our aging popula-tion and increasing demands on healthcare and pensions have set a ticking clock on the sustainability of the social safety net. This raises serious questions about how the government plans to address this impending crisis or if it even has a plan.

Then there is the news of rising costs in the public sector: "Personeelskosten AZ fors gestegen" (Personnel costs at AZ have risen). Is it just a coincidence that public sector wages are ballooning as elections loom on the horizon? Nepotism and cronyism seem to be alive and well, with family and friends being well taken care of—paid for by taxpayer money, of course. In the face of upcoming elections, this is unsurprising but deeply troubling.

The top story is the "Nieuw belijning rotonde Piscadera" (New Lane markings on the Piscadera roundabout). How is this even front-page news? The fact that trivial infrastructure updates make headlines shows how warped our priorities have become. It is no secret that pre-election infrastructure projects are rolled out like gifts to the pub-lic, but how long will we be satisfied with crumbs?

And then there is the economy. "CTB: Dubbele groeicijfers" (CTB: Double-digit growth). On the surface, this sounds like great news, but dig a little deeper, and you see that this growth is entirely dependent on tourism. We are now officially a mono-economy, much like other islands in the region, facing the same challenges: high prices, low wages, and tourists swarming local streets in their rental cars. Tour-ism may bring money into the country but also fuel inequality and strain local infrastructure. At what point do we ask ourselves whether this is sustainable?

If you thought the headlines could not get any worse, "Tweede drugsvangst Zr.Ms. Holland" (Second drug bust by Zr. Ms. Holland) reminds us that transnational crime is booming. It is as if criminal networks are another branch of our economy. We cannot ignore the harsh reality that drug trafficking is deeply intertwined with our social fabric, providing opportunities for some while leaving others in a cycle of violence and poverty.

Then there is the state of education: "Gezond leerklimaat voor scholen lastig" (Healthy learning environment for schools is challenging) and "Zestig procent heeft mavo of lager" (Sixty percent have MA-VO level education or lower). These numbers are alarming. When 60% of the population is undereducated, it raises serious concerns about the kind of workforce we are developing. Can we even sustain a tourism-driven economy with such a poorly educated populace? For many, even a job in the tourism industry might be out of reach. The education system is not just failing—it is sinking.

And so, as the story goes, each headline reveals a more profound crisis. We are witnessing the slow unraveling of critical societal pillars—education, economy, social security, health care—while politicians seem more concerned with preserving their power than finding real solutions. If these headlines are any indication, we are standing on the edge of a cliff, and the clock is ticking. I have already pointed out all this in 2013 in the book Cura?ao 3.0.” (Goede, 2013)

Miguel Goede