Aruba remains a multilingual country, an open community that for decades has welcomed different nationalities who come to share our island. The beauty of this dynamic is that even though citizens remember their own country, flag, and history of freedom, they live and celebrate together with the Aruban people. Politicians from all corners can clap and give speeches, but the central truth remains: Aruba is Aruba, and it has shared in different nationalities’ special dates of freedom and autonomy, but are immigrants in Aruba aware that Aruba is in a national danger that will affect them as well?
However, when we pause to reflect on what it means to live free in your own country and make your own decisions, we face a critical reality. The autonomy that Aruba enjoys today did not come from outside; it was conquered with blood, sweat, and a historic struggle achieved by the liberator Betico Croes. The countries that today celebrate their freedom in Aruba and can enjoy the freedom of their own land see that Aruba right now is fighting not to lose its own freedom and autonomy. Are immigrants aware of this?
The road for Aruba to break away from the Netherlands Antilles was full of obstacles. Before this historic achievement, neither the Netherlands nor Curaçao believed in Aruba’s potential, claiming that the land was not fertile and that to receive anything, one had to go on their knees to get something for Aruba. The Arubian had to endure and withstand many insults.
The fight for autonomy began from the cradle of AVP and PPA, and the Status Aparte was conquered under the firm leadership of Betico Croes, who stood firm until the end to guarantee that Aruba could become an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on January 1, 1986. The goal was clear: to give the Arubian people the power to manage their own finances, develop themselves, and decide their own future without asking for permission—a country whose land and people the Netherlands initially did not believe in.
Just like all immigrants who choose Aruba as their country and love its anthem and flag, they must likewise stand firm for Aruba’s freedom and autonomy hold the flag of Aruba and sing its anthem in order to continue living in a free and autonomous Aruba.