In a striking statement, Member of Parliament Edgar Vrolijk (MEP) severely questioned the decision of 11 members of Parliament who gave the green light for the HOFA Kingdom Law process to proceed. According to Vrolijk, this decision represents a capitulation of our financial autonomy and a failure to defend the powers granted to Aruba by the Kingdom Statute.
Finance: From Autonomous Matter to “Kingdom Affair” Vrolijk explained that, according to Article 3 of the Statute, finance is not on the list of topics that must be regulated by the Kingdom (such as defense or passports). Finance has always been an autonomous right of Aruba. However, through this pressure, the Netherlands is succeeding in converting it into a “Kingdom Affair,” where the final decision will no longer rest in Aruba, but in the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) and its 150 members.
“The push by the Netherlands to convert Aruba’s national finances into a Kingdom affair remains a point of great concern,” Vrolijk declared.
Criticism of the “Capacity” of the 11 MPs The MP was very direct in his criticism of his colleagues who voted in favor:
- Lack of Knowledge: According to Vrolijk, these parliamentarians lack the capacity to understand the power they hold to defend Aruba.
- Selling Autonomy for Interest Rates: He pointed out that they chose the path of the Kingdom instead of preparing and fighting for a local budget chamber (begrotingskamer), which would have kept control within Aruba.
- Decision Against the People: “These 11 parliamentarians chose the Netherlands over Aruba; a decision against their own country and people,” he emphasized.
A Trail of “Bad Faith” Since 2020 The road to this point has been one of constant pressure. Vrolijk recalled that since 2020, during the pandemic, the Netherlands acted in “bad faith”—a point previously noted by the Council of State (Raad van State).
“They forced Aruba to choose: either you accept a Kingdom law or you don’t get a loan. And now in 2025, the pressure continued: if you don’t accept the law, they hit you with a punitive interest rate of 6.9%,” the MP explained. He described this as treatment that violates the Statute, which dictates that members of the Kingdom should help and work with one another—principles the Netherlands mentions in words but not in deeds.
A Structural Chain for the Future Vrolijk sounded the alarm regarding the law’s conditions, which include 28 strict points of compliance. One of the most precarious points is that if Aruba does not manage to reduce its debt to 50% within three years, the process starts all over again.
According to the MP, this means Aruba could remain structurally tied to Dutch control and the advice of the CAft forever. “Signing the HOFA Kingdom Law means our finances cease to be autonomous and become a Kingdom affair under the direct control of the Dutch Government,” Vrolijk concluded, lamenting the impact this will have on the future sovereignty of the island and its coming generations.