Yesterday afternoon, at the ATIA building, an important group of more than 14 trade union and business organizations met with the Partido Patriotico Arubano (PPA) for an open and respectful dialogue regarding the Rijkswet HOFA. According to Parliamentarian Eduard Pieters, the meeting clearly showed one thing: the people of Aruba are alert, they understand, and they will not allow fear to be spread without legal or constitutional basis.
“A cultured people can never be defeated, no matter how much you try to instill fear in us, you will not succeed,” Pieters declared with emotion and determination.
A people tired of a lack of transparency
During the meeting, the organizations expressed clearly the confusion reigning within the community. They do not understand how a Prime Minister seeks to frighten their own people with arguments such as Aruba losing its passport or damaging its relationship with the Kingdom of the Netherlands if it opposes the HOFA law. They understood that this is not the way to govern or to lead a country. The current modus operandi, according to them, is neither correct nor beneficial for Aruba’s future.
“The people of Aruba are not asking for confrontation,” Pieters emphasized, “but they are asking for transparency, respect, and clarity.”
PPA stands for Aruba
From the beginning and throughout the entire election period, PPA stood firmly against the Rijkswet. Today, the message remains the same: “We will not surrender our autonomy without making the last effort to stop this.” Pieters reminded that many politicians before fought tirelessly to achieve the Status Aparte, and that achievement cannot be destroyed today in the name of a law that removes power from Aruba’s Parliament.
“The people of Aruba must understand one thing: HOFA is not a technical law, it is a political law that touches our dignity as a country. If we sign this, we are signing that we ourselves are not capable of managing our internal affairs,” Pieters insisted.
He added that the PPA will continue to defend and advocate for a National Front, where all parties, unions, and citizens can unite to stop this process, which is not even following the agreements made in 2022 in the Netherlands, as there is no majority consent.
Uniting forces for Aruba’s well-being
Yesterday’s dialogue was just the prologue of a movement that will certainly grow larger. Pieters announced that on Tuesday, during the Parliament session, PPA will bring forward the concerns of the organizations with clarity and determination.
“We will present the concerns we heard, the lack of respect for our autonomy, the way of communicating with the people, and the attempt to dominate Aruba through fear and by trying to impose something ‘through the back door.’ The people are clear: Aruba does not want this.”
At the end of the meeting, Pieters closed with a message of unity and hope:
“We are not standing up for one color, nor for one party, we are standing up for Aruba. For the country for which our ancestors sacrificed so much and achieved our Status Aparte, so that we do not lose everything that took so many years of struggle and that determines our self-determination.”
“We may have different opinions, but we must remember that we are sworn to one single goal: to protect our country, our autonomy, and our dignity,” Pieters concluded.
Press Release: PPA
