The PPA faction came out hard against the President of Parliament, Mr. Marlon Sneek, after the PPA conducted its own investigation regarding the information presented in relation to the Kingdom Law HOFA (Rijkswet HOFA). At no point has the commercial sector officially expressed that they are in favor of the Kingdom Law HOFA, contrary to the statements made publicly by the President of Parliament.
For Member of Parliament Eduard Pieters, this is no longer just a political disagreement, but a serious matter of credibility, transparency, and respect for the people of Aruba.
PPA personally verified with the trade associations
After the President of Parliament declared in the media that the commercial sector supports the Kingdom Law HOFA, the PPA took the initiative to directly contact representatives of trade associations as well as business owners.
“To our surprise, several of them confirmed that they have never expressed, either verbally or in writing, that they are in favor of the Kingdom Law HOFA,” Pieters declared. “They do not even have an official stance supporting this law.” According to Pieters, this shows that the President of Parliament created a false narrative on a constitutionally highly delicate matter.
“Parliament cannot become a propaganda office”
Pieters connected this episode to a pattern that, according to him, is becoming increasingly evident in how Parliament is being managed.
“Last week we saw how the President rushed to suspend a meeting before a minister could be forced to answer legitimate questions from Parliament,” he emphasized. “Now we see that the same President is coming forward publicly with information that is incorrect.” For the PPA, Parliament must be a neutral institution that protects democracy and political oversight, not an instrument to defend the government or manipulate public perception.
Besides a rubber-stamp Parliament, we see a rubber-stamp Speaker
In one of his strongest criticisms, Pieters said that Parliament has lost its direction and institutional leadership. “He does not even follow the Rules of Order (Reglamento di Ordo), which mandate that meetings must be called within the stipulated timeframe,” Pieters emphasized. “No meetings, no coordination, no leadership. It is a national embarrassment for the highest organ of our country.”
According to Pieters, the problem runs much deeper than just the Kingdom Law HOFA. He states that the public’s trust in democracy is undermined when information is incorrect and when political leadership opts for manipulation instead of clarity.
HOFA is too serious for cheap politics
Pieters emphasized that the topic of HOFA is not just any ordinary subject, but a law that directly touches upon Aruba’s autonomy, budgetary rights (budgetrecht), and constitutional future.
“It is extremely irresponsible to drag the commercial sector into trouble by lying about them and creating the impression that they support something they have never supported,” he declared.
According to the PPA, the Advisory Council’s (Raad van Advies) own advice confirmed that there are serious concerns regarding Article 38 of the Kingdom Law and its impact on the autonomy of Parliament. Therefore, Pieters considers it even more severe that a President of Parliament is “trying to sell a false sense of consensus.”
Democracy demands the truth
In his final message, Pieters sent a clear warning: political leadership cannot be based on lies, perception, or propaganda. “The people deserve the truth, not manipulation,” he concluded. “And when the President of Parliament himself becomes a source of incorrect information, trust in our democracy breaks down even further.”