Curaçao Chamber of Commerce and Industry observes its 130th anniversary

Few organizations on Curaçao can claim a history that stretches out more than a century. The Curaçao Chamber of Commerce and Industry was founded on October 15, 1884. It may be of no surprise that the Chamber of Commerce underwent several stages in its development, thus going through many ups, and also some downs, before it became what it is right now — 130 years later: still strong and steady.

The same year that the Curaçao Bank (the predecessor of the current Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten) was founded back in 1828, the Dutch General Commissioner of the Dutch King in the Western colonies, Johannes van den Bosch, started a first Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Curaçao.

The basis for the current Chamber of Commerce and Industry was laid by a new law established on May 3, 1884, which was strongly supported by the then Governor General of Curaçao, Nicolaas van den Brandhof. The need was felt to have an instrument in place to revitalize the weakened economy and to structure the business community on Curaçao. The Government needed a representative body of the real economy from which it could obtain advice on how to proceed in matters regarding the economy in general and in particular related to business.

In the early years, the Chamber aimed its resources at promoting international trade through Curaçao, to which end it had an extensive network through chambers of commerce in the most important trading posts during that period, i.e. New York and Rio de Janeiro. On a more local note, the Chamber promoted small-scale (folk) industries, such as straw hat plaiting, furniture making, agricultural cooperatives, tobacco growing, smith work, printing, ship repair and building, phosphate mining, salt extraction  and general construction.

Through the years the Chamber of Commerce has developed to what it is today. One of the biggest changes the Chamber has seen is that, until 1909, the Secretary of the Chamber was appointed by the Governor General. As of 1945, the Chamber‘s role was clearly defined and, with the introduction of the public registry in that same year, the Chamber was able to generate its own revenues through contributions and levies for conducting a public register, as well as fees for the issue of authentic docu- ments and the provision of services to the business community.

Against Protectionism
The newly started Chamber of Commerce held close contacts with the Colonial Council of those times, which was based on liberal ideas, and thus kept the government at a fair distance. In its first year of existence, the Chamber already emerged as a strong promoter of free trade and a vigorous opponent of protectionist duties. The Chamber even went so far as to consider the customs office a threat to the attempts of Curaçao to rebuild its trade sector, due to the fact that it would abolish the tax-free status of the island. It also played an integral role in opening up the west coast of the United States to import salt from Curaçao. At the end of the 19th century, the Chamber lobbied to have the Venezuelan 30% surcharge on imports from the island lifted. At that time, it also lobbied against the introduction of local currency instead of Panamanian or Colombian pesos. This was all still in the years before the start of the oil industry.

An Advocate for Tourism
When the oil refinery started operations in 1918, the Curaçao economy got a tremendous boost. But throughout the 20th century the Chamber also promoted the development of a flourishing tourism industry. In essence, the Chamber played a pivotal role as a tourism pioneer in Curaçao when it was not yet generally accepted as an important new source of economic businesses, revenues and jobs. However, it wasn’t until the refinery implemented computerized systems for its processes and scores of employees were laid off that tourism started to be considered as a worthy alternative to boost the island’s economy.

Keeping Curaçao ahead of the times
At the end of the 19th century, the Chamber had already started pioneering for Curaçao to be linked to the latest international communication networks, realizing that it was the only way to stay on top of new business opportunities and provide the best possible infrastructure for international business. In 1979, the Chamber recommended the introduction of direct international telephone dialing. While this may sound old-fashioned now, at the time it was a necessary step not to lose grip on the fast-moving telecommunication infrastructure for doing business. The Chamber was also one of the first contributors of satellite TV, which later on was transformed into TDS. Another interesting anecdote is that in 1929, the Chamber was the initiator of the plan to have a high bridge crossing St. Anna Bay for an uninterrupted flow of people and cars between Punda and Otrobanda. This idea was finally accomplished in 1974.

An advocate for business and the community
Entrepreneurship is not an activity that takes place in a vacuum within the community, nor is the economy the exclusive domain of entrepreneurs and businesses. Through its actions, the Chamber has been socially engaged, being critical yet constructive and respectful. The Chamber, as an advocate of trade and industry in Curaçao, has contributed greatly to set modern business principles, including corporate social responsibility and showing respect to all human beings.

Further more, the Chamber has shown its muscles when necessary for fair play in society, always in favor of availing opportunities for Curaçao to make progress and to give the community as a whole, prospects for the future. In doing so, the Chamber also participates prominently in receiving economic missions from abroad or initiating and taking part in delegations of Curaçao business people seeking new opportunities in other markets.

The Chamber  has a function to manage records and advise the government in the context of the Establishment Regulations for Companies. It also pro- vides trade information and related services to business, supported also by issuing periodic publications, like this Curaçao Business Magazine and Empresa Chikí. The Chamber is a coach, trainer and consultant to potential entrepreneurs who are thinking of starting business activities of their own.

The Bridge
Besides everything else, the Chamber is responsible for a number of duties and powers to achieve their objectives. One of the tasks is that the Chamber provides government with advice, solicited or unsolicited. It has direct contact with the relevant authorities, and as a result, the Chamber is often the bridge between the government and the business society of Curaçao. Supported by a professional staff and a well-equipped infrastructure, as well as with respected members of society sitting in on the board, the Chamber has shown vision for the development of the business community at a macro level, with policies to develop and support the implementation of programs at a micro level.

The Voice of Private Enterprise
In retrospect, it can be stated that since its establishment in 1884, the Chamber of Commerce served as the official voice to represent the general interests of the private enterprises in Curaçao, and of the employers in particular. For this purpose, the Chamber remains primarily as the official representative and key organization in a network of business organizations, all in their own way and with their own objectives representing the interests of their members and other affiliates. In this respect, the Chamber is often well represented for pro-active participation in steering committees, advisory boards, consultation bodies and other institutions and organizations that are in the interest of businesses. The Chamber  is a longtime active member of the “national social dialogue” to bring public sector, labor unions, private sectors and other important representations closer together, working on essential issues that touch everyone’s life and work.

The Chamber Today
Up to this day, the Chamber houses a complete registry of local businesses and foundations, as required by law, to secure a good view and control of the numbers and types of entities that operate in the island. Against that background, the Chamber provides information and services to local and international corporations. It is important for these registers and data to be reliable and easily obtained. Because of its long and rich history and as an official source of so much data, the Chamber is also represented in a score of official entities where financial, social and economic policies are discussed and determined, etc.

In its 130 years of existence, the Curaçao Chamber of Commerce has a rich, long history and has proven time and again its value to businesses and industry on the island. It’s still the advocate for the promotion of Curaçao as a leader in business in the region, not only for businesses, but also for the people themselves, providing valuable resources to hopefully play a role in the success of everyone who comes to its doors.