If the Consensus Kingdom Act HOFA becomes a reality, it means that the AVP-Futuro government is undoing our Status Aparte, taking away our freedom as a country, and stripping us of our autonomy. The government is playing with our history, our dignity, and our Status Aparte. For a handful of money, both Geoffrey Wever and Gerlien Croes have become blind.
With the Consensus Kingdom Act HOFA, the role and authority of Parliament are sidelined. The Minister of Finance of Aruba is sidelined, and the Council of Ministers of Aruba as well. All authority is being handed over to Dutch politicians and the Kingdom Council of Ministers, with the Dutch Prime Minister at its head.
Currently, once the Council of Ministers of Aruba approves the national budget, it can be sent to the Parliament of Aruba for debate. But under the Consensus Kingdom Act HOFA, Aruba’s budget must be sent to the Kingdom Council of Ministers in the Netherlands — and they will decide whether or not to approve it.
If that doesn’t mean losing our freedom and autonomy, then I don’t know what does. I truly don’t understand why the AVP-Futuro government would want to give up our autonomy.
What Geoffrey Wever has demonstrated is that he cannot manage our public finances. He is incapable of making decisions and of proving that we can handle things ourselves. He is essentially issuing himself a “certificate of incapacity” — he should simply resign, because he has shown he cannot manage and control public finances without Dutch support.
It is outrageous to think that there are politicians willing to sell our country for a bag of money. Even more outrageous is that they are willing to surrender our public finances and financial autonomy when our national debt has already been reduced by over 50% in just five years! Aruba remains under financial supervision through the Financial Supervision Ordinance, complies with all standards, repays its debts to the Netherlands, and has already reduced its debt by half!
This means there is no valid reason and no justification to accept the Consensus Kingdom Act HOFA. It is sad that this government, together with its coalition parliamentarians, wants to sell our country in this way.
The freedom of a country is something sacred. We have been a free nation since 1986, and thanks to that freedom our country has been able to prosper and progress. We now have the freedom to make our own decisions, the freedom to vote in our parliament, the freedom to use our own funds as we wish — and all of that will be taken from us by the Consensus Kingdom Act HOFA.
The main question remains: why should Aruba accept the Consensus Kingdom Act HOFA???
Press release: MEP