During the Public Meeting in Parliament regarding waste management, Member of Parliament Endy Croes seriously questioned Minister Wendrick Cicilia regarding a 2.1 million florin per year contract that the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) awarded to the company Ecotech. According to Croes, this agreement for the “Baki den Bario” project in Barcadera was signed without complying with the mandatory public tendering process, violating Article 21 of the Landsverordening instelling ATA and the rules of good governance.
Conflict of Interest Croes explained that on April 30, 2026, the Chairperson of the ATA Board, Mrs. Jo-Anne Arends, signed the official request (with reference number 71026010) addressed to Minister Cicilia to approve the amount of Afl. 2,108,128 for Ecotech’s offer for the permanent waste zone in Barcadera.
The parliamentarian clarified that he is not questioning the capacity or professionalism of Mrs. Arends, but rather the decision structure. Because the Chairperson of the ATA Board is also an employee of a company that falls under the same group, Meta Corp, which owns Ecotech, Croes considers this to be a situation of conflict of interest. During the meeting, the minister did not give a direct answer on this point. According to Croes, to guarantee maximum transparency in the process, the request could have been signed by the vice-president of the board.
Lack of Compliance with the Law Alongside the aspect of conflict of interest, MP Endy Croes pointed out a failure to comply with public tendering rules:
*Landsverordening instelling ATA: Article 21 of this law stipulates that the tendering rules that apply to the Country of Aruba also apply to ATA.
*Aanbestedingsverordening 2026: Since January 1, 2026, the new tendering regulation has entered into force, which requires that any project exceeding Afl. 200,000 must go through a public tendering procedure.
Croes remarked that although the project is valued at 2.1 million florins per year, no public tender was organized, which is a violation of the rules of good governance and of ATA’s own law.
Concern for Serlimar’s Role and ATA’s Core Tasks The parliamentarian regrets that these types of decisions are taking place while the state waste company, Serlimar, is excluded from the process. Furthermore, Croes remarked that waste management falls outside the primary tasks (core business) of ATA.
To emphasize the importance of integrity in governmental management, Croes concluded by stating: “Transparency, good governance, and respect for the law must be the pillar of every public decision to guarantee community trust.”