MP Suzy Camelia-Römer Calls for Public Education on Curaçao’s National Budget
WILLEMSTAD – Member of Parliament Suzy Camelia-Römer from the MAN-PIN party has called for government action to improve understanding of Curaçao’s national budget among both policymakers and the public. She described the budget as “a point of concern for decades.”
Budget Misunderstanding Among Officials and Public
During a parliamentary session with the General Audit Chamber, Camelia-Römer highlighted that the national budget, Curaçao’s most important law, is often misunderstood by many, including those responsible for approving and managing it.
“The big problem is that many government officials and parliamentarians do not understand the budget — and neither does the general public.”
Proposed Awareness Campaign
To close this knowledge gap, she proposed the Audit Chamber and related bodies launch an awareness campaign featuring short explanatory videos across radio, television, newspapers, and social media. The goal is to clearly explain what the national budget is, how it functions, and what its figures mean.
Concerns Over Budget Changes Without Parliamentary Debate
Camelia-Römer also criticized the Ministry of Finance for making budget changes post-approval without discussing them with Parliament.
“Such changes must be presented to Parliament so that they can be debated.”
She added, “People think democracy means the majority simply decides — but that’s not true. Everything must be based on legality.”
Call for Political Maturity
The veteran politician emphasized the need for greater political maturity and respect for institutional rules in Curaçao’s governance.
Author’s summary: Suzy Camelia-Römer urges a public campaign to educate all Curaçaoans about the national budget and calls for stricter parliamentary oversight of fiscal changes to strengthen democracy.