During an urgent press conference, Member of Parliament Eduard Pieters of the PPA faction expressed strong political and constitutional concerns regarding the Kingdom Act HOfA and the Landsverordening Waarborging Overheidsfinanciën Aruba (LWHO) (National Ordinance on Safeguarding Aruba’s Public Finances). According to Pieters, Aruba is approaching a dangerous point where political manipulation and a lack of transparency directly threaten our autonomy and our democratic rights as a country within the Dutch Kingdom.
The President of Parliament Cannot Create a Non-Existent Consensus
Pieters reacted strongly to recent statements made by the President of Parliament, who indicated that commercial associations support HOfA. According to Pieters, this is simply incorrect! “We at the PPA have sat down with both labor unions and commercial associations, and they have never publicly declared that they are in favor of HOfA,” Pieters emphasized. “After the Advisory Council (Raad van Advies) confirmed that Article 38 of the Kingdom Act and Article 7.2 of the LWHO undermine the country’s autonomy and Parliament’s budgetary rights (budgetrecht), it is even more difficult to understand how some people are still trying to sell this as a law that has broad support.”
Advisory Council Confirmed What PPA Had Been Warning About
For Pieters, the advice from the Advisory Council issued on April 24 changed the entire political debate on HOfA. According to Pieters, what PPA had been saying since last year is now officially confirmed: this law conflicts with our Constitution (Staatsregeling) and poses a real risk to Aruba’s financial autonomy.
Furthermore, Pieters indicated that the LWHO itself is not considered “ready” according to the Advisory Council’s evaluation. “So I do not understand how the President of Parliament and certain individuals are still trying to convince the public that this process is normal and legitimate,” he declared. “The legislative product is not ready, there is no consensus, and there is no famous ‘draagvlak‘—meaning the broad support that is being referred to.”
13 Unions Said “NO” Once Again
Pieters revealed that on May 13, thirteen unions and associations officially reconfirmed their stance against HOfA. According to Pieters, this clearly demonstrates that there is neither social nor political support for this law.
“Parliament has never voted on the Kingdom Act HOfA. The people have given no mandate for this. Unions do not agree. Commercial associations have serious concerns. So how can the President of Parliament speak of a ‘broad support base’?” Pieters questioned.
Once Aruba Says Yes, We Lose Control
One of Pieters’ strongest warnings concerned the constitutional consequences of an eventual consensus by Aruba and subsequent approval by the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). He explained that based on Articles 15 through 18 of our Charter (Statuat), once Aruba grants consensus and approves the LWHO, the principal decision-making power will move to The Hague.
“The moment Parliament says yes, Aruba will no longer have any influence and nothing left to say,” Pieters warned. “And if Article 38 remains in it, we will have a grave constitutional problem within the Kingdom, because it directly undermines our budgetary rights.”
According to Pieters, this is precisely why the PPA traveled to the Netherlands to personally inform members of both the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) and the Senate (Eerste Kamer) that this law lacks democratic legitimacy in Aruba.
PPA Demands a Public Debate and Clarity from the Coalition
Pieters also criticized the fact that the President of Parliament has still not called the public meeting requested by the PPA and MEP factions since March 23 to discuss the coalition’s position on the Kingdom Act HOfA and, logically, the law tied to it, which is the LWHO.
“We have sent reminder after reminder. But there is still no meeting,” Pieters said. “The public has a right to know clearly where AVP and FUTURO stand on a law that even the Advisory Council questions.”
Autonomy Is Not Something to Negotiate in Silence
In his final message, Pieters emphasized that PPA’s struggle is not against the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but against a process that, according to him, is ignoring basic democratic principles.
“A consensus-based Kingdom Act (consensusrijkswet) without consensus has no legitimacy,” he concluded. “And Aruba’s autonomy cannot be handed over in silence—neither through political pressure, nor by manipulating information.”