Member of Parliament Dangui Oduber launched a scathing critique today against the management of the AVP-FUTURO coalition, declaring that this government has NO respect for the people of Aruba. According to Oduber, the way the draft of the Kingdom Law on Financial Supervision (HOFA) was handled—sending it to the Netherlands before the Parliament of Aruba could even take note of it—is a grave sign of disrespect toward the highest organ of our democracy.
A “Bypass” of Our Democracy MP Oduber expressed that the HOFA Kingdom Law is a fundamental matter that a government cannot simply “bypass” Parliament on. According to the MP, this law will strip us of our freedom, revoke our Status Aparte, and set us back more than 50 years. “We live in a free country; our Status Aparte ensured progress, and we cannot allow a small group of politicians who do not believe in our country to surrender our freedom and autonomy,” he explained. Furthermore, the MP stated that the biggest issue is that this Kingdom Law strips Parliament of its rights, as an MP will NOT be able to approve, disapprove, or bring any changes to the law. Oduber laments that the AVP-FUTURO government disrespected the people by not sending the draft to Parliament first for review and amendment before it went to the Kingdom Council of Ministers in the Netherlands.
“Mustard after the Meal”: Parliament left out After the HOFA draft was sent to the Netherlands, the Parliament of Aruba finally received the document this week to “view and read.” Oduber categorized this as “TOO LATE” and a total lack of respect. According to Oduber, this is “mustard after the meal” (mosterd na de maaltijd), considering that the Dutch Council of Ministers has already approved the draft. “The Parliament of Aruba can no longer bring ANY changes to this HOFA Kingdom Law, and that is something we are not going to accept,” Oduber emphasized.
Lack of Consensus and Financial Logic The MP emphasized that there is no consensus whatsoever for this law:
- 10 members of Parliament are openly against it.
- Every labor union in Aruba is against it.
- More than 10,000 citizens have signed their rejection of the HOFA Kingdom Law.
Additionally, the MP seriously questioned the position of politicians like Gerlien Croes and Geoffrey Wever, who want us to celebrate living in a free country while simultaneously wanting to surrender and sell our country for a “bag of money.” Oduber finds it absurd that they wish to hand over our public finances and financial autonomy, especially since our country’s debt is projected to drop below 50% in just two years.
Oduber remarked that Aruba already has financial supervision anchored in the Landsverordening Aruba financieel toezicht (LAft). Aruba is duly complying with all financial norms and is paying its debts to the Netherlands. Therefore, there is no valid reason or justification to accept the HOFA Kingdom Law. “The freedom of a country is sacred and cannot be negotiated,” he concluded.