In a critical analysis regarding the financial position and autonomy of Aruba, Member of Parliament Dangui Oduber presented strong arguments against the imposition of a financial Kingdom Act (Rijkswet). Basing his views on statements made by the faction leader of the POR party in Curaçao, Mr. Quincy Girigori, Oduber emphasizes that the consequences for Curaçao under similar management were disastrous.
According to MP Dangui Oduber, the reality in Curaçao—where they have lived under a financial Kingdom Act since 2010—means that all budgetary decisions are made in The Hague by Dutch politicians who do not understand the local reality. This situation forces any initiative or issue in Curaçao to go through a question-and-answer process in the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer), which according to Oduber is a disgrace for an autonomous country.
Oduber questions the contradictions coming from certain politicians in Aruba. On one hand, figures like Mr. Mike Eman, Geoffrey Wever, and Gerlien Croes argue that the Kingdom Act is positive because it brings more oversight. On the other hand, Minister Geoffrey Wever promises that the exact same law will bring more freedom to make decisions. For Oduber, the question remains: what is it really, more control or more freedom?
The MP emphasizes that the “more control” argument is a form of manipulation to misinform the public. Aruba has already been under financial supervision since 2014 under the Landsverordening Aruba financieel toezicht (LAft), where Dutch experts sit on the committee overseeing the budget, expenses, and investments.
One of the strongest points raised is that Aruba’s financial situation shows solid results without needing a Kingdom Act. Oduber indicates that in the 2025, 2026, and 2027 budgets, Aruba achieves a surplus of 700 million florins through its own efforts and by making its own decisions.
Furthermore, comparing macroeconomic data, Aruba’s debt-to-GDP ratio is lower than that of Curaçao. This demonstrates that even though Curaçao has had a financial Kingdom Act since 2010 and Aruba has not, Aruba’s management and financial situation are currently better.
In conclusion, Oduber makes a critical call to reflect on the value of our autonomy, asking why freedom should be surrendered and autonomy sold for a “bag of money” while the country is demonstrating its own financial capacity.
The AVP–FUTURO government is showing that they do not truly care about Aruba, seeing that the same Kingdom Act model in Curaçao already has a negative impact and that Aruba can prevent this, yet they still want to push Aruba into the Kingdom Act formula. Do the politicians of AVP–FUTURO truly want a better future for Aruba?