During a press conference, Member of Parliament Dangui Oduber sounded the alarm on several crucial issues for the country of Aruba, criticizing the current government’s management and the lack of accountability and attention to the people’s problems.
The Leading Question Concerning the LAR Advice One of the main points Oduber brought forward is the insistence on the LAR (Landsverordening Administratieve Rechtspraak) advice. He questioned what Minister Gerlien Croes’s fear is in not sharing this information with parliament and the people. According to the MP, this is an advice that provides guidance and legal counsel, but which to this day has been kept quiet. Oduber emphasizes that the people must be able to read and educate themselves on these types of advice, instead of seeing a government that lets opportunities pass by without exercising transparency.
Wasted Opportunities in the Oil Sector The MP touched upon the subject of the dismantling of the refinery, pointing out that there was a unique opportunity since January to explore possibilities to revive the oil industry, related to developments in Venezuela. However, he lamented that Minister Wever does not listen to the desires of parliament nor executes the motions unanimously approved to explore this potential, choosing instead to follow a direction that lowers our country’s economic diversification.
Drastic Increase in the Cost of Living Oduber emphasized that the financial situation of the average citizen is deteriorating rapidly. According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (Central Bureau di Estadistica), minimum expenses for a family of four have risen up to 5,602 florins to survive in Aruba. Alongside this, the Central Bank has sounded the alarm that the middle class is disappearing and purchasing power is dropping drastically due to an explosive cost of living.
The MP highlighted the increase in basic products and services:
- Gasoline has risen up to 2 florins and 90 cents per liter.
- Diesel has reached 2 florins and 86 cents.
- Gas expenses and other essential products continue to place pressure on every household’s budget.
The Cry of Merchants and Aruba’s Position Not only does the individual citizen feel the weight, but commercial associations, including the Chamber of Commerce (Atia) and others, are also sounding the alarm on the poor state of the country’s infrastructure and the fiscal pressure on merchants. Oduber concludes that since the current cabinet took charge, Aruba is going backward instead of progressing, which demands a stricter control role from parliament to monitor the direction of our country’s governance.