During a presentation in the Parliament of Aruba, Parliamentarian Mike de Meza expressed his concern over what he considers a lack of appreciation for Aruban professionals.
In his speech, De Meza used the well-known saying “when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” to emphasize that Aruba must be serious and seek high-level, quality accountability for key positions in the country. The parliamentarian stressed that the priority should be appointing Aruban professionals to these leadership roles.
“When you don’t have them, I can understand going abroad,” De Meza remarked, questioning why substantial financial exceptions are made for foreign professionals—in this case, a Dutch national—while restricting conditions for local talent.
De Meza highlighted the difference in treatment and salary structure among vital national companies. He pointed out that companies like WEB and Elmar manage a significantly larger turnover than other entities, exceeding hundreds of millions of florins, and serve as the backbone of the infrastructure that keeps the country running, including the airport.
However, the parliamentarian strongly criticized the fact that in certain cases, exceptions are made to pay salaries he described as “exaggerated”—reaching figures up to 1.6 million florins for Dutch directors—while for Aruban professionals with the same knowledge, value, or greater capacity, hands remain tied due to strict limitations.
“We can have relations with the Netherlands—they are certainly important, we are a small country—but not at the cost of protecting the honor and treatment of our own Arubans,” De Meza expressed.
One of the central points in the parliamentarian’s argument was the brain drain and the difficulty of attracting young Arubans graduating abroad back to their homeland.
De Meza noted that young Arubans studying abroad compete in the global job market in professions such as medicine, economics, and engineering, achieving high positions overseas. He questioned how the country expects these professionals to return to Aruba if the conditions are not attractive or if a double standard is maintained where exceptions are made for Dutch nationals.
The parliamentarian concluded his intervention with an appeal for fair and equal treatment for local talent, ensuring that the honor and value of Aruban professionals are respected, allowing them to properly return to their own country.