Aruba has a new poverty, but the most worrying thing is the fact that this new poverty is the consequence of structural challenges. Today we reap thanks to management in the past that has not provided the citizen with the opportunity to achieve financial stability.
More and more families cannot budget with the income they have monthly to be able to cover all the expenses they have. While the government indicates that the subsistence minimum is not the correct way to measure poverty, it is an important indicator that we cannot simply let go. The important question we must ask ourselves is: “How did we get here?”
As a young politician, my great concern goes to the group of young students who reside in a home where financial pressure continues to increase. As a consequence we find more young people who suffer from stress, worry and are even drop-out due to reality who choose to look for a job to be able to help financially at home. In 2021 we as a nation were promised a number of points, that the government under the leadership of Mrs. Wever-Croes, that we will know a strong and solid economy, which would result in better purchasing power for every citizen. The sad reality is that the current government is very disconnected from the reality that many in the community are going through. The AWG 100, – is rather today like AWG 1,
Secondly, it continues to become more difficult for parents to cover the basic necessary expenses they need to survive as human beings. The policy that Aruba need is based on what are the solutions that can be presented. I have confidence that most people know what the challenges our country is facing and there is a lot of distrust in what the political system in general is. Therefore we firmly believe that the country’s financial policy is the number 1, 2 and 3 priority in order to be able to safeguard something for the future generation. The starting point is that we have a responsibility for the future generation to be about 13 thousand young people who lack representation in our Parliament, who are neglected and lack a true voice that comes out in defense of their interests.
It is important Aruba that together we start to inform ourselves on which policy we want to contribute to. As a new politician, my hope is that Aruba can see the importance in choosing a financial management that consists of the following points that we will have to go together in dialogue in order to get a solution:
Professional Minister for the Public Finance portfolio: during the different government we could take note of how a partisan agenda prevails above the general interest and welfare. Parties making promises they can’t keep and promising jobs to different people in exchange for votes. For me, this type of politics does not contribute to the empowerment of the citizen. At the end of the day, it makes the citizen more dependent on the government and this is something that together we all have a responsibility to be able to create a system where every citizen can help himself.
Reduce government spending: The most difficult decision for any individual is to reduce spending. And we have a responsibility to the future generation. If we look at today, the debtratio is 88%. This translated means that still out of every 1 guilder, we are paying 0.88 cents to debt, which is certainly an unacceptable figure.
Implement structurally greater efficiency in the public apparatus through the digitization and modernizations of constitutional laws.
To refinance our debt with the Netherlands by approving the Kingdom’s Law Aruba Financial Supervision. These points are certainly points that as a citizen you have certainly already heard on several occasions but unfortunately they have not yet been implemented. Therefore it is important for Aruba that together we continue to inform, raise awareness so that we can choose representatives working for the general good.
The bitter reality for Aruba
The leaders of Aruba failed the future generation and I am back in politics to procure that this never repeats. It is unacceptable that a young person today has an obligation to the country of Aruba of about AWG 60,000, without being able to take out a deposit to invest in his future, without being able to take out a mortgage in order to get the home of his dreams and without the young person managing to get a car. These points certainly are my concern. But these are decisions that will take political courage thinking not on the personal agenda but on the general interest and well-being of a country and a generation that claim to receive a true voice.
AVP financial management; “First bloom and then prune”
Finally, the government’s choice of its financial management. We can categorize the management of AVP as one where purchasing power is stimulated in the hope that in the future the “return on investment” will be an economy where citizens can invest. The philosophy of “first bloom and then prune”, we have seen that this management is risky at the moment the government makes very large investments increasing the national debt disproportionately with the future generation being left helpless with more challenges tomorrow.
MEP’s financial management: “The mega debt”
On the other hand, we have also seen the management of the MEPs, in order to reduce the national debt, this means that less will be invested in public services and we have also seen that the government has increased taxes in order to have more income. The problem is at the moment this policy is producing higher revenues, but the government increases its expenses and leads to the same disproportionate management where the future generation is left helpless.
The solution
The balance should be a perfect one, the government should not have a Profit Earning System, since the government is not a company that aims to achieve higher profits. It is also important that the government complies with the protocol of 2015 and 2018, as well as the administrative agreement that the government of Aruba has to send to the government of the Kingdom by the Kingdom’s Law Financial Supervision. It is important that the government negotiates the best Kingdom’s Law for Aruba at the most favorable interest for the Aruban people.
Thirdly the 10% public wage Bill, which is the personnel costs standard which means that approximately 1500 to 2000 people working in the public sector will have to enter the private sector. We must not only reduce expenses, but also re-invest these created financial spaces, back in the public service that it is important to provide content and opportunities to citizens so that they can achieve their dreams. At the end of the day, the task of the government to be able to provide and create the infrastructure that are missing, to think about the physical and digital infrastructure that is needed for the citizen to reach his maximum potential.