WILLEMSTAD - The forthcoming Pisas cabinet is in favor of a labor market that works more flexibly. According to the parties, no economic growth has taken place in Curaçao for years. In addition, the population has not grown either. The new government wants to grow the population based on a demand created by investment and expansion of economic activities. That is stated in the coalition agreement.
The new coalition does not envisage a labor market where the employee hardly has any rights. But MFK and PNP do want a labor market with fewer restrictions regarding labor mobilization.
In the first period, work will be done on a recovery plan in line with the National Development Plan of Curaçao. This multi-year plan was drawn up in 2016 in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The parties note that little has been done to implement this plan and want to take this up again.
Reference is further made to the World Bank recovery plan entitled "From Covid-19 Crisis Response to Resilient Recovery - Saving Lives and Livelihoods while Supporting Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID)". The new government also wants to join this.
According to the parties, in the future, attention should not be drawn directly to the national budget and the deficits therein, but the government will focus more on economic growth. "You simply cannot spend more than is produced," the agreement sounds sensible.
That is why the focus will mainly be on increasing production, which will automatically lead to more income for the government. “This does not alter the fact that the government is aware of the shock caused by the corona pandemic. It requires major investments and efforts to recover,” says the document. "For this reason, combating poverty will become one of the main tasks of the 2021-2025 government period."
Stability is also a key concept for the government: political stability, balanced budget, and price stability. Stability is necessary to regain confidence, it is argued. But first Curaçao will have to climb out of the valley, for example to be able to solve the debt problem. The government wants to resume the discussion about dollarization and a monetary policy regarding a possible own currency.
Finally, the new government wants to work on the following agenda: increase exports, stimulate entrepreneurship, make the public sector more efficient, improve tax collection, stimulate new economic sectors, strengthen and expand tourism, restart the refinery, Bullen Bay (Curaçao Oil Terminal) now that oil has been found in Suriname and Guyana, increase alternative energy generation, develop a second port at Vaersenbaai Noord, stimulate transnational education, better cooperation with the other Dutch Caribbean islands in the industrial field and more agriculture, livestock and fishing.