Many parliamentarians and ministers do not know what is actually in the HOFA Kingdom Act. This became clear during a recent parliamentary meeting. Parliamentarian Maduro reported that Finance Minister Geoffrey Wever at one point even admitted that he was not sure what is contained in Article 38 of the Kingdom Act. Ironically, this is the article that grants Aruba its autonomy.
In other words, the Finance Minister, who is the driving force behind the HOFA Kingdom Act, could not explain what the article entails, leaving many people, including unions, with questions.
According to Parliamentarian Maduro, Article 38 governs everything related to Aruba’s budget management and the laws on financial management and supervision. After these matters are discussed in Parliament, they must go to the Netherlands because Aruba does not have the final say. Article 38 makes this clear. Geoffrey Wever, Gerlien, Mike Eman, and other AVP and Futuro parliamentarians could not explain what the article actually entails or that it effectively limits Aruba’s autonomy.
Parliamentarian Maduro called this a disgrace: the Aruba Parliament should not be at this level of ignorance regarding our statute, constitutional arrangements, and the HOFA Kingdom Act.
When asked why the government wants to proceed with this law, Maduro explained that the government believes the Netherlands can provide cheaper financing, for example by refinancing foreign loans or reducing interest, as was done during Covid. In reality, however, there is little clarity on the terms of this financing. The Netherlands wants full financial control over Aruba and to ensure debt repayment is accelerated, regardless of Aruba’s other obligations or investment needs. Maduro concluded that this is a very concerning situation for the country.