Member of Parliament Endy Croes questions the stance of Prime Minister Mike Eman and the AVP party regarding the proposed kingdom law HOFA.
The parliamentarian recalled that in the years 1947 and 1948, the AVP party collected 2,147 signatures from the citizens of that time to proclaim Aruba’s separation, names that are still engraved on the bust of Shon A. Eman as a historical symbol of the fight for autonomy. In this context, Croes pointed out that the current decisions to accept the Rijkswet HOFA are perceived as a fundamental change of course that distances the party from the legacy of Henny Eman, Shon A. Eman, and the effort of the people who sacrificed to achieve Status Aparte; a process that, according to the parliamentarian, positions the country back into a relationship of dependence of ‘Yes Boss’, while the Prime Minister prepares to step down as leader of AVP next September and conclude his term on January 1, 2027.
Analysis of Financial Management (2010 – 2017) In his evaluation, Croes reviewed the governance period of Mr. Mike Eman between 2010 and 2017, pointing out that the administrative and financial management of that time left serious consequences for Aruba. He brought forward the following points:
*Personnel Expenses: 427 coordinators, of whom 147 worked directly for the Prime Minister.
*Projects and Events: The high expenses in the “Green Conference” and the 2 million florins invested in Wubbo Ockels’ boat.
*Use of Public Funds: The delivery of 2 million florins via ATA for a race car in America, 4 million florins for the consulting company Horizon, and 8 million florins in promotional campaigns.
*Judicial Cases and Mega Debt: The corruption cases involving former AVP ministers, and the creation of a debt of 2,200 million florins in 8 years without a pandemic.
*Intervention and Financial Supervision: The intervention of the Netherlands in 2014 for a budget deficit of 443 million florins, which led to the introduction of LAFT and CAFT in 2015.
Croes emphasized that the people of Aruba today are the ones who must continue to shoulder and pay these debts.
The Current Situation and the HOFA Process According to the parliamentarian, the intention behind the current decisions is to improve the Prime Minister’s personal relationship with politics in The Hague, surrendering financial autonomy to the Netherlands with the expectation of opening doors to prominent positions within the Kingdom after his exit from active politics.
Croes pointed out that while the Prime Minister focuses on beautification and cleanup projects, the HOFA process continues to advance without the necessary transparency. The visit of State Secretary Eric van der Burg on July 15 resulted in an announcement that Aruba and the Netherlands will continue with the HOFA process and will work on a “nadere verklaring” (further explanation), based on the advice of the Council of Advies and the Council of State.
Warning and Position of the Opposition Parliamentarian Croes made a call to AVP and its coalition partner Futuro, pointing out the rejection against HOFA:
10 parliamentarians, more than 10,000 signatories, and 13 unions (representing more than 15,000 workers) have expressed their disagreement.
The three opinions by Professor Elzinga are against the proposal. Furthermore, the evaluation report of the General Audit Chamber of the Netherlands on 10 years of the Rijkswet in Curaçao and Sint Maarten concluded that this law did not help socio-economic growth, but rather stalled the development of these islands.
Croes concluded by saying that it cannot be that, despite all these warnings, there is a choice to continue pushing HOFA in silence during recess “just like” last year. Recalling the saying that “the monkey plays with its tail until it pokes its eye out.” Wake up!