WILLEMSTAD – Member of Parliament Sheldry Osepa of the Partido Nashonal di Pueblo (PNP) has urged the President of Parliament to enforce stricter order during the weekly Ora di Pregunta, the parliamentary question hour.
Osepa voiced concern following the session of September 18, where, according to him, Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas dominated the floor, leaving little room for MPs to ask questions. The debate centered on the massive power outage that left the entire island without electricity for a full day, an issue Osepa considers of great social importance.
“The question hour was designed to provide citizens with clear and timely information during urgent situations,” Osepa said. “Instead, important questions remained unanswered, and even incorrect information was spread.”
The PNP parliamentarian criticized the Prime Minister for making inaccurate comparisons, suggesting that nationwide blackouts had also occurred in the Netherlands. “That is simply not true. Cities have experienced outages, but never the entire country at once,” Osepa noted. He added that the structure of question hour should have allowed MPs to correct such misinformation immediately.
Safeguarding a Key Parliamentary Tool
Osepa emphasized that the question hour is a vulnerable but vital parliamentary instrument, one that the previous Parliament fought hard to establish. Because no motions or interruptions are allowed during this period, the government faces no direct political consequences. Instead, the sole purpose is to ensure honest and transparent communication between the government, Parliament, and the people of Curaçao.
To protect its integrity, Osepa has called on Parliament President Fergino Brownbill to ensure that rules are upheld. Questions should be posed briefly and clearly, and ministers must respond directly and concisely, as prescribed by parliamentary regulations. He also suggested that the matter be referred to the Committee of Procedure for further review.
According to Osepa, safeguarding the Ora di Pregunta against misuse is essential if Parliament is to fulfill its oversight role effectively and prevent the public from being misinformed.
