Member of Parliament Rocco Tjon gave a structural statement regarding the meeting held between the Aruba delegation and the Council of State (Raad van State) in the Netherlands. Tjon emphasized that, contrary to what some media outlets published, the advisory body was very clear: the proposed Kingdom Law regarding the financial supervisor (Rijkswet) will structurally limit Aruba’s autonomy.
The MP specifically asked the people of Aruba to remain cautious and properly understand the real situation. Tjon went structurally against the publications of certain communication media, which, according to him, incorrectly assumed that this law would not affect the island’s autonomy.
Page 5 is Very Clear
Tjon referred directly to the official document to support his arguments:
“When we read page 5, to be exact, of the Council of State’s advice, it says very clearly: Aruba’s autonomy is going to be limited by this Rijkswet.”
Furthermore, he explained that the Council of State’s advice perfectly complements what Aruba’s own Advisory Council (Raad van Advies) had already assumed in their own report: both bodies conclude the exact same thing.
One of the most concerning points highlighted by Tjon is the lack of structural clarity for the country of Aruba regarding actual savings. According to the advice, to this day it is neither obvious nor clear to these bodies structurally what the refinancing of the loan (lening) by the Netherlands will entail, and which part will or will not be refinanced.
For this reason, Tjon criticized the figures presented by Minister Wever to Parliament and commercial unions, labeling them as “fictitious figures” since even the Council of State itself does not have that clarity in the document.
Three Cardinal Points of Concern
Tjon highlighted that there are three cardinal points structurally anchored in this concern, shared by the MEP and PPA factions, politician Mike de Meza, more than 10,000 citizen signatures, and the unions acting as a block:
• Structural conclusion of the bodies: Both the Advisory Council and the Council of State conclude that the law undermines autonomy.
• Lack of guarantees: If Aruba agrees, clear supervision must be guaranteed—something the current law does not freely provide, as the Netherlands is the one that will decide.
• Legal satisfaction: The two pieces of advice prove the delegation right, showing that the concerns presented structurally are valid and real.
Finally, MP Tjon confirmed that the Council of State is “indignant” that certain communication media took their advice out of context. The advisory body is currently deliberating on how they will officially react to these media outlets.
Tjon also launched a strong critique against Minister Gerlien Croes, accusing her of sharing incorrect information on her social networks, which, according to the MP, is an act of manipulation and structural misinformation for the community of Aruba. He concluded by reinforcing that the party will continue to monitor this development to ensure that the entire population remains properly and duly informed.
