Aruba lacks information on HOFA The main reason: The AVP-FUTURO Government negotiated in silence with the Netherlands and sent a draft to the Kingdom Council of Ministers for approval WITHOUT informing Parliament or the Public first. This creates legitimate concern, because a topic with such major constitutional and financial impact should not be handled as an “insider deal” out of the public’s sight.
Until this very day:
Prime Minister Mike Eman is absent from the public debate. He does not come to Parliament to explain or defend HOFA, nor does he inform the public via national broadcasting.
Aruba has a Minister of Kingdom Relations, Gerlien Croes, who has never held an informative program, press conference, or given a clear explanation of what HOFA actually implies.
Minister Wever of Finance focuses almost exclusively on the financial aspect, while the constitutional part of HOFA might be even more important for the future of our Status Aparte and autonomy.
Political cowardice What concerns many people even more is that there is currently political pressure to limit the opposition from sharing information with labor/trade unions and the public. We saw this when Minister Wever of Finance demanded that the representatives of the People be removed from the informative meeting room. A regrettable act of cowardice, as transparency cannot be viewed as a threat in a democracy.
And to complete the concern The Dutch State Secretary in charge of Kingdom Relations, Van der Burg, shows that he is not sufficiently informed about Aruba’s unique position within the Dutch Kingdom. His speech reveals a movement toward treating all three countries Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten equally, without recognizing that each country has its own history, its own constitutional agreements, and its own democratic mandate.
The crucial question is: Is HOFA solely a financial instrument? Or is it a major step toward changing constitutional relations within the Dutch Kingdom?
Let’s rise against abuse The people of Aruba deserve complete information, open debate, and total transparency before such important decisions are made. The public must stand up and NOT accept the abuse by Eman, Gerlien, and Geoffrey to surrender Aruba’s autonomy in an “insider deal” where the Public is left misinformed.