WILLEMSTAD — Fructuoso Edgar Wanga, chairman of the association of CDM-pensioners ASPA, argues for more attention for the elderly on the island. During the annual yearend ‘assembly’ of the association, Wanga concludes that successive governments had paid either little or no attention to the elderly. However, one must handle this differently in the new country Curaçao, according to the ASPD-chairman.

The assembly of the ASPD was celebrated for the twentieth time on December 19^th this year in the presence of Minister Hensley Koeiman (Social Development, Labor and Legislation, MAN). Wanga used his speech to elaborate on the problems, which the elderly on Curaçao are coping with. He wondered how much longer these people had to wait for structural solutions. “Each day, our elderly hope the promises will be kept, but they are repeatedly disappointed,” Wanga concluded yesterday. Wange remarks that the living costs have risen again and will continue to rise without an existing thorough inspection on the bare necessities of life. “The pension payments are insufficient to meet the primary necessities of life. The medical care leaves much to be desired and is inadequate. The care for our elderly is poorly managed and given insufficient attention.” The ASPD-chairman stated the necessary conditions are lacking to offer the elderly the required care during this period of proportional ageing. “There is plenty of work to be done by our administrators in this field,” says Wanga. The ASPD hopes that with the new country Curaçao, people will pay attention to the elderly. According to Wanga, one must not view his comments as one or other attack on any government, but he addresses successive governments who had not tackled this problem. Wanga is hopeful that this situation will change now.