In a recent statement, the Minister of Finance, Geoffrey Wever, expressed that before the Government proceeds with the revision process of the Top Incomes Standardization Act (LNT), he is approaching Parliament to hear its opinion, providing space for broad deliberation, transparency, and proper parliamentary oversight.
This position, however, stands in direct contradiction with the Government’s previous decisions on the same LNT law and with the way the Minister is handling the topic of the Rijkswet HOFA.
Parliamentarian for the MEP faction, drs. Shailiny Tromp-Lee, questioned this lack of consistency: “It makes one doubt whether it is truly the same Minister handling these issues. Why does the Minister speak of transparency and proper parliamentary oversight for this revision proposal, but did not come to Parliament to gauge the views of the people’s representatives when the Government made an LNT exception for Aruba Airport Authority (AAA), allowing salaries up to 3 times higher than the legal norm? Why was Parliament’s opinion not important then?”
Furthermore, Tromp-Lee indicated that the same lack of transparency is observed in the case of the Rijkswet HOFA, where dialogue and Parliament’s participation have not taken place to this day. This directly contradicts what was agreed upon in the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO), where it was decided and emphasized that during the process of a Consensus Kingdom Law (Consensus Rijkswet), Parliament must remain duly involved in all phases: before, during, and after negotiations, and there must be parliamentary consensus at all times.
“We are observing selective transparency based on convenience. Proper parliamentary oversight and respect for the people’s representatives cannot be an instrument that a Minister uses only when it suits him, while refusing to apply it in matters where massive salary exceptions have already been made or in issues of great national importance like HOFA,” Tromp-Lee emphasized.
The Parliamentarian concluded that due legislative process and respect for Parliament must be applied without exception and with genuine seriousness. “Aruba deserves leadership that acts with the same seriousness, transparency, and firmness on all topics, and does not use Parliament merely to cover its position when it feels it is necessary.”
According to Tromp-Lee, the mask of Futuro’s minister and parliamentarians continues to fall, given their use of pretty words that are not reflected in their actions.