PPA places nation building, identity, continuity, and human development central to the future of San Nicolas.
The future of San Nicolas cannot continue to depend on political promises, temporary projects, or plans that disappear every time the Government changes. The district needs a national vision that can survive elections and a governing period.
This was one of the main messages highlighted by PPA faction leader Eduard Pieters following a meeting with Suzette Dumfries, who presented her research, findings, and vision regarding nation building and the future of San Nicolas. Also present was PPA candidate Rigoberto St. Jago, who emphasized the extraordinary cultural potential that San Nicolas holds.
Pieters described the presentation as extremely valuable and interesting, particularly because it ratifies PPA’s vision for San Nicolas to be a Cultural Heritage City—a vision included in PPA’s Plan Nos Aruba 2050. Furthermore, it connects economic development with something that should carry much more weight in politics: human development, identity, social infrastructure, and nation building.
Suzette Dumfries: a national plan, not a partisan project
During her presentation, Suzette Dumfries shared the results of her research, which was previously presented during the Future San Nicolas forum. The research forms the basis for a broader vision, which she described as a plan that should not be carried by a single party, but by Aruba as a whole.
Dumfries indicated that the meeting with PPA is only a first step. Her intention is to continue presenting the vision to other factions, institutions, and entities.
The central point is continuity: Aruba is creating a future in which many of the people making decisions today may not be a part of it. Therefore, today’s decisions must be based on information, research, and a perspective that looks beyond a single political cycle. Pieters supported this approach and openly invited other parties, governmental, and non-governmental institutions to listen to the proposal and actively participate. A plan for San Nicolas must not be the property of PPA, AVP, MEP, or any other party. It must belong to Aruba.
Rigoberto St. Jago: San Nicolas has something the world does not have
Rigoberto St. Jago added an important dimension to the discussion: the multicultural identity of San Nicolas. He highlighted how generations of different nationalities brought their music, instruments, traditions, and culture to San Nicolas, creating a blend that is now part of the district’s unique identity. For St. Jago, enormous potential lies precisely there.
San Nicolas should not try to copy another tourist area. It can develop its own product based on its history, diversity, culture, and authenticity. That cultural wealth can become an engine for a different kind of tourism and economic development.
Pieters: education is also nation building
For Pieters, however, nation building cannot be limited to tourism, economy, or infrastructure.
Education plays a fundamental role. Educational institutions must help children and youth know, honor, and safeguard their identity, history, and culture. According to Pieters, a country that does not prepare its next generation to understand who they are loses an essential part of its capacity to build the future. That is why he places social infrastructure and human development alongside economic development, which must progress together in an integrated manner.
San Nicolas needs a vision that survives politics
The point connecting the messages of Pieters, Dumfries, and St. Jago is precisely continuity. San Nicolas has known too many plans and promises that lost momentum when political priorities changed. The challenge now is to create enough consensus among the community, politics, commerce, and institutions so that the district’s future does not depend on who is in power.
“We have the privilege today to make the decisions that will create the future,” Pieters emphasized.
For PPA, the discussion is therefore bigger than the revitalization of a district. It is a discussion about what kind of Aruba the current generation wants to leave behind. San Nicolas does not need another promise that lasts until the next Government. It needs a national vision that no political change can send back to the drawer.