A Fresh Start for the Island: The Minister's Cleaning Initiative
September 12, 2024
The Minister has taken a bold step by opening the landfill to all citizens for free for two months, an effort to clean and maintain the island’s environment. Simultaneously, he’s engaging with residents in various neighborhoods, initiating a dialogue about the importance of keeping the island clean. This approach is commendable, as the island is undeniably littered, with overgrown weeds covering many areas despite the tireless work of NGOs like Clean Up Curaçao and Kununkuman. Their efforts, however, often feel like an uphill battle.
The current minister’s initiative starkly contrasts his predecessor, who declared two consecutive years as “The Year of Clean-Up” without visible success. It is worth noting that, as Minister of Finance, he did not allocate additional resources to support his colleagues in achieving these goals. Even with the landfill open for free, the minister seems a bit frustrated. Despite offering this solution, people continue to dump waste in nature illegally. This is not just about the cost of legal dumping—there is a deeper issue at play: a mindset problem.
In 2020, I proposed a "moonshot" plan to launch the island toward Society 5.0—an ambitious project to cleanse the island both physically and mentally collectively (Goede, 2021). The concept was inspired by what Singapore achieved in the 1960s, based on Feng Shui philosophy. Unfortunately, there was little interest at the time. Yet, what the minister is striving for now mirrors the essence of my original proposal.
I decided to share my plan with the minister and his team, hoping it might be helpful. After all, as the saying goes, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar." Maybe this is the moment for genuine change.
Miguel Goede
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