Saturday, January 21, 2006
CURACAO – The social partners, like the unions, associations, and hotel organs, demand a clear commitment from the political parties to really take criminality in hands. The political parties need to work this out in concrete government policy. But the unions and employers’ organizations would like to contribute to the implementation.
The political parties have to be willing to declare that they will work together on all levels and give a concrete meaning to the eight issues that the social partners had put in the document ‘Ta Basta’ (enough, that’s the limit). They have to do this before the elections of next week.
Curacao has to become a place where the citizens live in peace and feel safe again. Due to ineffectiveness and incoherent approach, an increasing group of citizens come to believe that criminality is the only way to earn an income.
According to the social partners, the laws are not well adapted to the criminal hardening and increased cruelty; certain media confronts the society on a daily basis with this unpleasant, new reality, ‘in an irresponsible manner, and from very dubious levels’ and the political parties have not managed to put aside their party-political differences and work together.
Some of the issues already exist, like a list of priorities for the integral and long-lasting way to deal with poverty, public safety, and education. But the social partners also want the launch of more educational programs to impart norms and values to the young folks as well as to their parents.
Help legal foreigners to integrate; have an extensive police force use unconventional methods to stop insolent and organized crime; conduct scientific responsible surveys in order to determine what the population experience and how satisfied people are with the progress made. If we cannot manage ourselves, we should be willing to ask for assistance elsewhere. They propose the governments to give a short report on the progress and tell them with what they can contribute.
It has to become a shared responsibility, in which all groups work together to create a society that we can be proud of again.