For those who follow politics closely, it is important to analyze the situation without political blindness. From AVP’s foundation and also among the party’s neighborhood leaders, many express disappointment, but continue to speak with respect and calmness. They recognize that Mike Eman is a tremendous person, with a good heart for people, but that he is not functioning as a good leader compared to his predecessors, who always tried to dialogue and always put the people and the party’s ideology first.
Unfortunately, many feel that Mike Eman lost the vision and character of the AVP party since 2016. At that time, an internal struggle began within his own party and cabinet—a fight for power, envy, and selfishness where some looked at each other with suspicion.
Internal fracture and the departure of key figures
At those moments, Mike Eman chose not to get involved, letting the fight for power and pride cause a severe fracture that resulted in:
• The departure of Otmar Oduber.
• The detention of Paul Croes.
• The investigation and subsequent detention of Benny Sevinger.
This was followed by an open war between the youth and the veterans of the party, which caused figures like Gerlien Croes and Ryçond Raylond Santos do Nascimento to also choose to leave the party. Each of them made it known that they could not be part of an organization where the leader does not take up his role and responsibility, but instead lets old-style politics do as it pleases. At that time, the fracture became clear between the group of Gerlien Croes and Ryçond Raylond Santos do Nascimento against Mike de Meza.
Later, Gerlien Croes founded her own party—which functions as a dependency of the AVP party—where a group from AVP gathered with Gerlien Croes to create the FUTURO party; practically, the FUTURO party is a wing of AVP. Ryçond Raylond Santos do Nascimento also founded his own party with its own identity.
Current situation and the leadership challenge
Today, by the irony of life, the problems continue, this time between “Mike and Mike”. This shows that one of the main reasons for Eman’s retirement is the feeling that he no longer has control over the party. Many people in the AVP grassroots are also beginning to question his leadership, saying that the time has come for him to step back, after 10 years of constant struggle with internal situations of pride, envy, and selfishness that are no longer viable for the party.
It is true that AVP has always known how to prepare young people on its lists, but many question whether the next leader Mike Eman is trying to push is too young to carry and take over such a large party. Or is there already lobbying for Geoffrey Wever to jump the fence for a second time, and this time, just as he abandoned the RAIZ party, he will abandon the FUTURO party as well and become the leader of AVP, leaving both RAIZ and FUTURO parties behind in oblivion (“doofpot”)?