During the recent working meeting with Minister Herde, representative of the COMPA Foundation, Aron Bislip, brought a series of deep concerns to the table regarding the controversial Burubundu project. The COMPA Foundation emphasizes that the points presented demonstrate that the project lacks the necessary legal and feasibility requirements, while the handling of transparency requests leaves much to be desired.
During the meeting, which focused on the housing and development crisis in Aruba, COMPA stated that if the market is not protected, there is no viability. Although the project was not discussed continuously throughout the meeting, when COMPA was given the floor, they made it clear that basic questions regarding the Burubundu project remain unanswered.
According to Bislip, it was explained to the minister that time is highly valuable and that when a project is not viable—as is the case with Burubundu—pushing such a large project without the necessary studies results in a major blunder.
“We need viable solutions, not adding fuel to the fire,” was the firm stance put forward by the COMPA Foundation.
A key point during the meeting was the processing of the request under the National Ordinance on Government Openness (LOB). COMPA noted that after nearly a quarter of correspondence, they are pleased to have secured a meeting before the final decision-making deadline, but many questions remain unresolved due to a lack of transparency.
A LOB request to the minister was submitted on July 21. After sending a reminder and filing an objection (bezwaar), an appeal had to be lodged with the LOB commission on October 9. Although the minister indicated that the request is currently with the department, COMPA recalls that a LOB request is addressed directly to the minister, revealing administrative inconsistencies in the process. The organization highlights that public information is crucial to addressing the pending questions.
On procedural grounds, the COMPA Foundation noted conflicts when comparing the different maps of the Spatial Development Plan (ROPV). The foundation noted that mandated studies were not conducted, relevant departments were not properly involved, and there is no real justification (anleiding echt) nor a known author for the project.
Although a policy advisor to the minister stated during the meeting that the points raised were incorrect, COMPA noted that the strategy of not including all legal arguments from the outset serves to highlight the substantive deficiencies of the process.
Finally, in its formal response to the Submitted Views (Zienswijze), the relevant department acknowledged that mandatory studies, as stipulated in the Spatial Development Ordinance, are missing. However, the COMPA Foundation regrets that their views received no direct response to any of the specific points raised.
The COMPA Foundation hopes that its advice and warnings will resonate in the final decision-making phase, urging that development challenges be handled in a transparent, fair, and legally sound manner.