In the news this week, it was stated that "you cannot register at an address without the owner's authorization anymore." For one reason or another, this has become possible, and as a result, many people are registering at addresses without even being authorized to do so. The article gives the impression that this is a recent change in the law. This is not true. Simply because of a failure on the part of the Civil Registry (Kranshi), the existing law has not been applied for quite some time already. It would be good for Kranshi to explain why they did this. It is also necessary for Kranshi to disclose how many hidden addresses there are due to their negligence.
I wrote this article in 2018.
Last year, armed agents entered a house in Curaçao - a fictitious address: Saguaro Street #123 - to search for a suspected criminal. According to the Court's authorization (to enter the house), the suspect was supposed to be living at that address. Curiously, neither the owner nor the residents of the house knew or had even heard of the suspect who was "officially living there." Address theft? No. The agents claimed to have confirmation from Kranshi. By the way, after investigating, it was discovered that there were at least 4 more people at the address whom the owner did not know, registered at his address. Impossible? Not in Curaçao.
It turns out that it is possible to go to Kranshi and declare that from today you no longer live at the address where you are registered and declare that you are moving to, for example, Saguaro Street #123. Whether the owner of the house on Saguaro Street #123 agrees or not. Or whether he knows or not. Kranshi takes your declaration and makes the change. This is what the suspect did. In other countries, like the Netherlands, a change of address requires a procedure to safeguard the integrity of data in the registry.
This is possible in Curaçao, and it is reckless and dangerous. First and foremost, you should not have to endure the shock when a battalion of armed agents enters your house. Not to mention the trauma when your address is spread through communication channels due to someone else's negligence. Easily, someone can cause trouble for an innocent person. For example, individuals in the criminal world may register themselves at your address. This also shows that the quality of data in our registry is lacking, with all kinds of consequences for elections, crime-fighting efficiency, and more. But more than anything, it indicates a country in disorder that is not an exception.
Action must be taken. I understand that it is not a matter of lack of law. The ordinance that regulates this matter is in force: the Basisregistratie Personen (Personal Data Registration) is in effect. It seems that the automated system is in place as well. What is lacking is the application of the rules. I believe that each one of us should know who is really registered at our address. The same goes for our official institutions.
Alex David Rosaria (53) is a freelance consultant active in Asia & Pacific. He is a former Member of Parliament, Minister of Economic Affairs, State Secretary of Finance and UN Implementation Officer in Africa and Central America. He’s from Curaçao and has a MBA from the University of Iowa. (USA).