The debate surrounding financial management and the pressure to introduce external supervision brings the fundamental question regarding the future of our autonomy back to the table. The argument that another country must step in and exercise direct control over Aruba ignores not only our country’s constitutional reality, but also the administrative challenges that the supervisory nations themselves face at home. For a country to hand over the reins of its destiny into foreign authority goes against every principle of a functional democratic system.
When we look at the reality of countries that claim to give advice or impose supervision, it becomes clear that no country is immune to internal crises or governmental problems. Pouring resources and having foreigners come exercise control here in Aruba does not solve the root of any financial challenge; on the contrary, it weakens the layer of local accountability that must bear the weight of governance. Good governance demands that decision-making power and control remain at home, anchored in the democratic bodies that were and remain accountable to the people of Aruba.
In a democracy, the solution can never be to let another country control our administrative or financial destiny. When you hand over control into someone else’s hands, you place the shaping of your own destiny in the hands of others who do not share the same commitment or connection to our community’s daily reality. The responsibility to put our finances in order rests with our own institutions and our own people. Strengthening our country requires strong, independent local institutions capable of bearing full responsibility without losing our sovereignty.