Monday, March 9 became, according to the leader of the PPA parliamentary faction, Eduard Pieters, a day of disappointment following decisions taken during the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom (RMR) in the Netherlands. According to Pieters, the process surrounding the proposed Kingdom Law HOFA continues to move forward, despite the lack of consensus in the Parliament of Aruba and among the Aruban people.
Pieters indicated that the decisions taken are part of a process that, according to him, continues to advance even though it is known that the law does not enjoy the necessary support in Aruba. The parliamentary leader of the Partido Patriotico Arubano (PPA) expressed concern about the impact the law could have on the country.
According to Pieters, the situation is regrettable because, in his view, it represents a process in which important decisions for Aruba are being made without broad local consensus. He also criticized the role of the governing coalition of the Arubaanse Volkspartij (AVP) and Futuro, stating that the steps being taken do not reflect the wishes of a large part of the Aruban people, unions, stakeholders, and the Parliament of Aruba.
The PPA leader added that the Parliament of Aruba must remain a central actor in decisions concerning the country’s future, and that it is important that the voice of the people be respected in processes of this magnitude. According to him, the AVP–Futuro government is not respecting Aruba and its Parliament, and the Netherlands is also not respecting the Status Aparte of the country of Aruba.