During Thursday’s meeting in which the Government of Aruba presented information on the Kingdom Law HOFA to various stakeholders, only members of the AVP and Futuro factions were invited.
It was noted that coalition parliamentarians were present, but representatives from MEP and PPA were not.
This was confirmed by Parliament President Mr. Sneek.
In addition to not answering questions or providing information to Parliament, the government has once again demonstrated a lack of transparency.
The MEP faction expressed its disappointment, noting that the government misinformed stakeholders during Thursday’s session.
“Had MEP parliamentarians been present, we could have immediately corrected those inaccuracies with facts,” the faction stated.
Prime Minister Mike Eman reportedly claimed that the same technical experts who handled negotiations under the previous administration were also involved this time, and questioned why MEP opposed the outcome.
MEP responded:
“The answer is simple — those experts only handled the preparatory technical work.
The actual negotiations at the governmental level were supposed to take place afterward.
So are we to understand that Prime Minister Eman himself did not participate in negotiations on such a crucial matter for Aruba?
The people expected more clarity and leadership.”
The faction further pointed out that Eman stated Aruba would save 300 million florins in interest under the HOFA law, but provided no evidence or calculations to support that claim.
“For months we’ve been asking for transparency — exactly how much would Aruba save?
One minister says 30 million per year, another says 50 million, and now we hear 300 million over 20 years — meaning 15 million per year.
Which figure is correct? And why all the secrecy?”
According to MEP, there are already two legal opinions indicating that the HOFA law violates Aruba’s Constitution, is not appropriate for the island, and is unnecessary.
The MEP faction condemns the government’s lack of transparency and concludes with the questions:
“Why so much secrecy? And what else is the government hiding?”
Press Release: Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo (MEP)