During the debate on the first 2026 budget amendment, Hendrik Tevreden asked the AVP-Futuro government: when will relief reach the people?
Single mothers, single fathers, and families all bring the same message: our wallets aren’t stretching far enough.
“Futuro promised that they were going to fix the people’s situation. Today, our people are feeling more pain in their wallets than ever,” Member of Parliament Hendrik Tevreden (MEP) stated in Parliament.
When will relief arrive?
Even colleague Dennerich Kelly from AVP stated clearly in the chamber: the people need to feel the relief. Tevreden completely agrees.
“My question is simple: how are the people going to feel this relief, and when will they feel it? A mother who pays rent, electricity, and water, and whose wallet is already empty by the 15th of the month, does not live on a government’s intentions. She needs action!”
Money for advisors, while the people wait at home
In the budget amendment, the government is moving Afl. 500,000 from the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure to pay energy advisors.
“While thousands of families wait for relief, Afl. 500,000 is taken out of Housing to pay advisors. The government calls this ‘budget-neutral.’ For the people, this is not neutral. They continue to feel the effect in their wallets!”
Water and electricity: tell the people today
Tevreden asked Minister of Finance Geoffrey Wever for a clear answer regarding water and electricity for 2027. “The minister said that water and electricity won’t go up. So tell the people today: in January, are water and electricity going up, yes or no? The people have a right to know beforehand, not afterwards.”
A coalition speaking with two voices
Tevreden pointed out that on the issue of wage increases, the coalition itself cannot agree. On the exact same topic, one side speaks of a “study” while the other calls it “immoral.”
“One talks about a study, the other talks about it being immoral. Meanwhile, commerce, workers, and families remain in uncertainty. Will there be an increase, yes or no? And when? We want the answer from Minister Wever and Prime Minister Eman, today.”
Seriousness, not empty excuses
For Tevreden, the danger is clear. “I foresee that when election time comes, we will hear that they had good intentions, but that their partner wouldn’t let them. The people cannot pay their bills with a government’s intentions. That is why today, here in Parliament, we must hold the government accountable with seriousness and demand real action.”
“They spend the money first, and afterwards they come asking for permission to spend it. The people are the last to know. Today we demand just one thing: tell the people what is going to happen, and when.”
