The MAN-PIN faction in Parliament has submitted a request to the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports to award a Cross of Merit to the members of the Curaçao national football team who represented their country at the 2026 World Cup. According to the MAN-PIN faction, the team made an exceptional, historic contribution that brought national pride and unity, adding great value to Curaçao’s image.
The MAN-PIN faction indicates that, based on legal documents such as the ‘Eilandsverordening Kruis van Verdienste’ (Island Ordinance for the Cross of Merit) and the ‘Reglement van het Kruis van Verdienste’ (Regulations for the Cross of Merit), there is no exclusion preventing non-residents of Curaçao from receiving a Cross of Merit.
Requirements such as residency in Curaçao and a minimum age of 50, which appear on the official website, are government policy, not law. This means that in this exceptional case, the Minister can expand his policy and grant the country’s distinction to the team.
The MAN-PIN faction is asking the minister to have his department compile the necessary data to present the team members as candidates to the Cross of Merit Committee.
In the event that the minister wishes to stick to current policy and decides not to grant the Cross of Merit to our team, the MAN-PIN faction proposes as an alternative to award an ‘Official Plaque of Merit’.
The faction hopes for a positive response from the minister soon.