The LED Screen for the Dakota Stadium is a P4.81 Defenders Series OUTDOOR purchased in China
Member of Parliament Endy Croes has stated that Minister Gerlien Croes is governing with “hatred and rejection,” showing this publicly for the second time in Parliament by expressing her opposition to all equipment and materials manufactured in China. According to Croes, this attitude creates the impression that the minister has something against the Chinese community—a fact that the MP deeply regrets, considering that the Chinese community is very beloved in Aruba and their contribution to our economy is substantial.
Besides this, China is a global powerhouse in exports; they exported 3.8 trillion dollars worth of materials to more than 210 countries around the world during the year 2025, of which 1.1 trillion was in electronic equipment. Therefore, the constant rejection by Minister Gerlien Croes against materials purchased in China is incomprehensible.
Renovation of the Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Sports Complex: Since February 2023, the then-ex-minister, together with the Wever-Croes II Cabinet, announced the beginning of the renovation of the Guillermo Prospero Trinidad (GPT) Stadium in Dakota. This project was carried out in several phases, given the state the stadium was in previously. In order to get FIFA to make a million-dollar investment in seven (7) fields for our local clubs to receive artificial turf, FIFA set two (2) fundamental conditions that the Government promised to fulfill:
Field and Lighting Certification: The Government had to renovate the GPT field with FIFA-certified artificial turf and install lights that must reach 1000–1200 lux. Since 2024, FIFA accredited the turf, and the Government complied with the new lights that provide 1200 lux. Thus, the first condition was met.
Legal Security for the Clubs: The Government had to transfer the football fields to the seven clubs (Nacional, Bubali, RCA, Riverplate, Dakota, Estrella, and La Fama) for a minimum of 30 years under the club’s own name. The Government initiated this process to complete the transfer of five (5) lease-lands (huurgrond) and two (2) long-lease lands (erfpacht).
In addition to this, more investments were made to upgrade the stadium. Track and Field athletics also received attention with a track from the global brand “Mondo”, which is a top-of-the-line brand. Furthermore:
One side of the grandstand was demolished and completely renovated.
Two (2) locker rooms were completely renovated, including the installation of electricity and air conditioning.
The entire VIP area was renovated, allocating more bathrooms and a canteen with its bar.
The stadium was already available for use since August 2024, where our U15 women’s national team achieved the first gold medal in our history. When the government changed, some pending works remained, which were transferred to the new Minister in the official document. In the handover form (overdrachtsformulier), under letter D, it was extensively explained that the LED Screen arrived in Aruba in the month of March 2025 and needed to be installed. Under letter C, various other points of attention were explained to finish this beautiful project. Otherwise, the public is already familiar with the childish attitude of the Minister, who, as soon as she entered office, stopped the project and took the keys of the Stadium to her house.
LED Screen for the GPT Dakota Stadium: In Parliament, on two occasions, Minister Gerlien explained that the LED Screen that was purchased was via Alibaba and that it is a Chinese brand which, according to the Minister, is an “indoor LED Screen”. Last week Monday, she repeated this in Parliament for the second time. Since Gerlien has a “reputation” among the public for being a liar, the people no longer believe her words.
Just as she has lied to Parliament until this day about the private jet, she still refuses to answer or show receipts for her business trip representing the country of Aruba. Gerlien shows a degree of frustration against the LED Screen because it was purchased from a company in China. She vents her frustration on Chinese products, while China manufactures good quality materials for the whole world. In reality, the brand of the LED Screen is a P4.81 Defenders Series ‘Outdoor LED Stadium Screen’. This is a huge and beautiful screen, specially designed for the Dakota Stadium. We do not know who might have put it in her head that this is an indoor screen. We regret that the Minister has opted to leave this screen, since April 2025, thrown on the ground in the stadium instead of coordinating to assemble it. We will make sure to ask the necessary questions in writing so as not to allow the destruction of capital (capitalvernietiging) that the minister is practicing, and we will insist on assembling the LED Screen that has already been in Aruba since March 2025. Deeply sad!