We have taken note that not one, but three Ministers namely Minister Mike Eman, Minister Gerlien Croes, and Minister Geoffrey Wever are in the Netherlands for the installation of the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mildred Schwengle. What stands out the most is that these three ministers did not travel alone; they were accompanied by family, a large group of coordinators, and the press, resulting in expenses exceeding 250,000 florins just to go throw a party.
From “NOT needed” to a celebration
This goes against what was declared in the past. It was just a couple of months ago that Minister Gerlien Croes stated that Aruba does not need a Minister Plenipotentiary because it is too high of an expense for our country. In that same publication, the Minister presented the figures of the previous Minister Plenipotentiary to justify why Aruba does not need such representation, claiming she would travel to the Netherlands every month herself to cover the work. And what happened now? Today, this very same Minister is partying in the Netherlands with a glass of champagne in hand, wasting the country of Aruba’s money to celebrate the installation of the Minister Plenipotentiary. How can the public believe this Minister’s word when her own actions strip away all her value and credibility?
Drinking champagne while the people suffer
The decision by Mike Eman, Geoffrey Wever, and Gerlien Croes to waste more than 250,000 florins on a trip accompanied by family, coordinators, and the press is a harsh blow at a time when, day by day, the people are battered by such a high cost of living. The reality is that these officials can organize parties at the public’s expense, drink expensive champagne, and eat caviar, while the average citizen has to struggle daily to figure out how to put bread on the table for their children.
This is the abuse that you, as a citizen, are experiencing at the hands of a group that unscrupulously wastes your money and tries to pull the wool over your eyes, all while having a grand time at your and your family’s expense. Things have turned into party after party, while you have to work hard to fill Aruba’s treasury so that Minister Mike Eman, Geoffrey Wever, and Gerlien Croes can keep traveling and enjoying themselves, while you swallow Geoffrey Wever’s inflation.