During a public session of the Parliament of Aruba this morning, Eduard Pieters, Member of Parliament for the PPA faction, delivered a clear and firm message: “The voice of the people must be respected, our autonomy must be protected, and Aruba cannot hand over its financial management rights under the Rijkswet HOFA.”
Pieters reminded Parliament that on January 30, both the PPA and MEP factions had requested a public meeting to discuss the process surrounding the Rijkswet HOFA and the Bestuurlijk Akkoord (Administrative Agreement). “And today,” he said, “we are seeing the consequences.”
Confusion and Finger-Pointing
According to Pieters, the debate has turned into a blame game. “In these sessions, we see accusations flying back and forth — who signed the Bestuurlijk Akkoord, who initiated the HOFA process, and so on,” he said. Pieters called for full transparency, urging that the public deserves to know who made which decisions, and on what basis.
A Mandate Without Vision
Pieters also drew attention to the political reality: the AVP party campaigned without a clear program, vision, or objectives, yet received 17,872 votes, enough for six seats plus three remainder seats — just 312 votes more than the MEP, making AVP the largest party in 2024.
“If PPA, MEP, and AVP together say ‘No’ to the Rijkswet, we represent more than 50% of all votes cast — and 70% of all citizens who exercised their right to vote,” Pieters noted.
Promises Without a Real Plan
The PPA faction criticized the AVP-FUTURO cabinet for presenting an overly optimistic picture. The Minister of Finance, he said, promised “more money, greater purchasing power, and an investment fund,” but no concrete plan or roadmap has been presented to achieve these goals.
Instead of sitting down with social, labor, and business organizations to renegotiate an agreement that truly safeguards Aruba’s autonomy, the government has chosen to defend the current deal — one the PPA firmly rejects.
Key Questions Still Unanswered
During the session, Pieters posed several crucial questions to the government, which, according to him, remain unanswered:
1. Based on Article 40 of the Kingdom Law and point 11 of the Administrative Agreement — if Parliament ratifies HOFA, will the Netherlands automatically refinance Aruba’s debts at a reduced interest rate?
2. Are there additional written or implicit conditions tied to the Netherlands’ willingness to refinance external debt?
3. According to Article 40(3) and point 12 of the Agreement — what happens to the reduced interest benefit if the investment fund is not yet operational?
4. How will compliance with the 20 criteria be measured, if vague terms like “identifying risks” are used?
5. How will an independent Budget Chamber function without guaranteed funding or trained personnel?
6. How can the Kingdom Council of Ministers have authority over Aruba’s national budget without undermining the Parliament’s sovereign powers?
7. Based on Article 38 of HOFA and point 5 of the Agreement — how is the Council’s prior approval right compatible with the sovereign authority of Aruba’s Parliament to approve its own national budget?
“It’s About Our National Soul”
Pieters concluded his remarks by recalling the words of Aruba’s national anthem: “May God guide and preserve our love for Aruba’s freedom.”
He stressed that this debate is not merely about percentages or interest rates, but about the national soul of Aruba.
“The people of Aruba have spoken clearly: we will not sign away our autonomy through a Kingdom Law that threatens our democratic rights,” he affirmed.