Daniel Hodge.
WILLEMSTAD--Daniel Hodge is the new political leader of the Democratic Party (DP) in Curaçao. Hodge, who made his appearance as chairman at the end of last year, was officially presented last Saturday as leader of the DP, one of the oldest political parties in Curaçao.
In a speech after his installation, Hodge discussed the current situation in Curaçao. He noted that according to the latest figures from the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS), Curaçao experienced economic growth of around 5% last year.
But according to him, these figures should be viewed critically. “Let us not forget that this growth came after an economic contraction of 20% during the corona pandemic and that we had experienced 15 years before that without any growth. So, all things considered, things could only get better.”
According to Hodge, the major challenge Curaçao is currently facing is to ensure that the island achieves sustainable growth of between 2 and 3% on an annual basis. This must be done in harmony with the labour and capital markets, but also with the environment. In his opinion, vision, experience and leadership will be required to achieve this, “something that the DP has always provided.”
“Government says things are going well, but is this really the case?” Hodge openly wondered. He pointed out, among other things, that Curaçao is the poorest country in the Dutch Kingdom with the highest tax burden and lacking any planned relief to do something about this.
Hodge also wondered how economic growth can be celebrated, while the minimum wage and old-age pension are among the lowest of the islands that were once part of the former Netherlands Antilles.
“How is it possible that children still go to school hungry, while there are long waiting lists in healthcare, that young professionals want to return to their native island, but have great difficulty finding a home? And why are there schools in primary education that are never able to send students to HAVO/VWO schools?” were among questions he posed to his audience.
Referring to the rich history of the DP, which was founded in 1944, Hodge stated that the party is ready to take over the legacy of its founders and to lead Curaçao again.
Hodge served as Prime Minister of Curaçao for “Pueblo Soberano” (PS) between 2012 and 2013, and after that was briefly leader of “Partido Alternativa Real” (PAR).
He has a lot of experience in the banking sector and was, among other things, a top executive at PSB bank. He was also director of the business association “Vereniging Bedrijfsleven Curaçao” (VBC).
Since 2010, the DP has not been represented in Curaçao’s Parliament, failing to earn a seat in several elections. Hodge thus faces a major challenge.
Elsa Rozendal, Roy de Freitas, Geraldine Scheperboer, George Hernandez and Norberto Ribeiro preceded him as unsuccessful party leaders.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/new-leader-of-dp-confirmed
