WILLEMSTAD – For the first time in Curaçao’s history, Members of Parliament have received an official Papiamentu translation of a published national ordinance. The law in question is the National Ordinance to Promote Labor Participation of Youth and Young Adults, officially titled in Papiamentu Ordenansa Nashonal pa promoshon di partisipashon laboral di hóben i hóben adulto. 

The translation was sent to MPs on Monday by the parliamentary clerk, accompanied by a letter noting that this fulfills a motion adopted by Parliament on April 8, 2022. 

Under that motion, Parliament is required to ensure that all laws originating from the legislature and enacted from 2023 onward are fully translated into Papiamentu within two months of publication. 

To make this possible, the translation and interpretation budget was increased by 30,000 guilders at the time, funded through reallocations from other areas of the parliamentary budget. 

According to local media reports, the requirement applies only to legislation submitted by Parliament itself, later approved by the legislature, and subsequently promulgated by the government. The aim is to make these laws accessible in the island’s mother tongue. 

The National Ordinance to Promote Labor Participation of Youth and Young Adults was enacted on July 8, 2025. Less than two months later, the full Papiamentu version is now available. The law provides tax and premium exemptions for employers hiring young people aged 18 to 30, provided they meet a series of strict conditions. It also amends several existing tax laws and repeals the old Lei di Bion.