Curaçao’s Long-Awaited Step
Since at least 2020, Curaçao has witnessed growing calls—locally and across the Caribbean—for serious steps to confront our colonial past. The recent proposal by the MAN-PIN faction to establish a Dekolonisatiecommissie in Parliament marks a long-awaited move in this direction.
This proposed commission would focus on studying Curaçao’s decolonization process, examining reparations, and working toward the healing of deep historical wounds from colonialism and slavery. It reflects debates that have echoed for decades across the Caribbean and within global bodies like the United Nations.
This is not about parties — it is about our collective future
Let’s be clear: this initiative must transcend party politics. The legacies of slavery and colonial exploitation have left profound imprints on our society’s economic structures, social realities, and cultural confidence. These are issues that touch every Curaçaoan family in some way.
From my standpoint as a neutral civic observer and researcher into our shared history, this moment requires sober, united leadership. It is equally essential that civil society — our historians, educators, artists, grassroots organizations, and especially descendants of the enslaved — have a seat at the table. Their lived experiences and long-standing advocacy should inform the commission’s mission and public engagement.
We need international partnerships and CARICOM solidarity
But Curaçao cannot and should not walk this path alone. Strengthening ties with our Caribbean neighbors, especially through CARICOM, is crucial. The CARICOM Reparations Commission’s 10-point plan offers a roadmap for how former colonial powers can begin to address these historic crimes in a structured, just way — through apologies, debt cancellation, development programs, and more.
Supporting this regional agenda doesn’t just help Curaçao; it strengthens a united Caribbean voice on the global stage, pressing for reparations that reflect the scale of harm inflicted.
International law is already clear — crimes against humanity were committed
It is important to remember that the transatlantic slave trade and slavery were recognized by international jurists long ago as crimes against humanity. This is not merely a moral position, but a legal one under international conventions and precedents.
Yet despite this, powerful nations like the Netherlands and the United States continue to do everything politically possible to avoid fully accepting this hard truth, or to frame reparations as optional gestures rather than obligations arising from established international law.
A united front in Parliament matters more than ever
Given these realities, it is essential that our Parliament approaches the formation of this dekolonisatiecommissie as a national responsibility, not a fragmented party maneuver.
Should members of Parliament dilute or reject this effort, it would inevitably raise painful questions: are they truly standing with the Curaçaoan people’s right to historical truth, justice, and restoration? Or do they remain aligned—wittingly or not—with those external powers that still benefit from the legacy of our dispossession?
History and the world are watching!
We have waited too long — well before 2020 — for a structured approach to healing and accountability. This is Curaçao’s chance not just to reconcile with its own past, but to build stronger alliances with our Caribbean brothers and sisters and to insert our demands firmly into the global dialogue on reparatory justice.
Parliament must rise to this moment: by uniting across political lines, by embracing civil society’s voice, and by actively seeking international partnerships that will support Curaçao in demanding long-overdue redress.
By Tico Vos – Nos Ke Sa
Independent civic observer, researcher, and documentarian of Curaçao’s history and cultural legacy.
