Aruba’s political history is writing one of its darkest pages. According to the latest statements and stance of Minister Geoffrey Wever, for whatever reason or expense, the price of fuel in Aruba must rise, using the minimum wage to push it up. A drastic position that sends a clear and destructive message: the people must continue to bear the brunt of careless decisions while the cost of living is pushed deeper into the abyss.
A Pattern of Arrogance and Shifting Rhetoric
This attitude is not an isolated incident. It is the same pattern of inconsistency this minister exhibited while serving in the previous MEP-RAIZ government, where he rejected the VAT (BTW)—whereas now, in the new coalition, he is one of the main driving forces behind aggressively introducing it.
Now, with the same threatening posture of bringing down a government, he imposes measures on the minimum wage, knowing full well that in today’s economic reality, this translates directly into a drastic price increase across all basic goods and essential groceries. Behind a “sweet lamb facade,” the reality that many civil servants and his own colleagues experience daily behind the scenes is one of exhaustion and fed-up frustration with a personalistic style of governance, where individual interests supersede the collective welfare.
Questioning Good Governance and Legality
This situation casts doubt on the very principles of Good Governance. How is it possible for an entire coalition to allow these harmful situations to occur without a single minister or parliamentarian possessing the necessary legal and political courage to stand firm for Aruba?
It is regrettable that, instead of executing the constitutional mandate to serve the people first, the priority of many parliamentarians has seemingly shifted to protecting their seats, personal benefits, and positions of power. The absence of a fixed, transparent legal framework—such as the lack of enforcement mechanisms for the LIM law—results in this government operating at the very limits of legal frameworks, lacking the due process and transparency to which citizens are entitled.
Puppets and Self-Serving Politics
The coalition followers in parliament—figures within AVP and the FUTURO faction, with the exception of Mike de Meza—play the role of simple puppets in this scenario. The practice of prioritizing “one’s own pocket” while the public continues to be sacrificed is a national disgrace.
The most recent public session in Parliament made one thing abundantly clear: Aruba is witnessing one of the weakest and most questionable governments in its history. Parliamentarians who took an oath to defend this country choose to support decisions that crush the purchasing power of citizens, proving that true dedication to the country has been set aside, and that the only thing that matters is the continuation of political power at the expense of the entire population’s suffering.