Aruba has reached an Aruban identity crisis. The SIKI Foundation (Fundacion SIKI) is deeply concerned; it is not just about the fact that the AVP-FUTURO government does not respect our constitution and the laws of Aruba. The AVP-FUTURO government is the first government in Aruba’s political history that has not yet distributed the portfolios so that the government can function; to this day, the current government still lacks the National Ordinance on the Institution of Ministries (Landsverordening instelling ministeries – LIM).
The LIM is very important for the budget of the Country of Aruba, for when a minister initiates a case in court, and for many other aspects within a government. At this moment, Aruba has ministers holding a portfolio, but officially they are still working to this day with the portfolios of the previous government. This is a very confusing situation and speaks volumes about the AVP-FUTURO cabinet, which could not even reach an agreement on a LIM among themselves.
The National Ordinance on the Institution of Ministries (LIM) is one of the first things a government must address in order to continue governing a country, but this only happens if a government truly respects itself and respects the internal processes of the Country of Aruba.
It is often said that the Netherlands puts pressure on Aruba, but if we do not respect ourselves, how can we expect the Netherlands or any other country to respect us? The president of the SIKI Foundation, jurist Jayburtt Dijkhoff, considers this situation highly alarming. There are many reports stating that the Country of Aruba is a “low trust society”; this means that practically the population no longer has trust in the government, in parliament, in the departments, in justice, nor in the police. The people of Aruba must begin to wake up from their sleep and start questioning.
If Aruba remains silent, Aruba is heading in a direction that our children neither desire nor chose. What is very important for the people to know is that a single twig can be broken, but a bundle of twigs—which is the united people—no one can ever break. The tactic that is used time and again is to divide us by political color, and it is important for the people to start questioning what is happening, demand that the government account for our own country, and respect our laws and our people as well, without justifying a color.