What is happening right now in local politics demands immediate attention. A new generation of politicians, who did not go through the real suffering and struggle of the Status Aparte years, seems to want to hand over the country’s autonomy to the Netherlands and colonize it once more as it was before 1986. The difference between 1986 and now is that Aruba has a strong economy and revenues, but what if the Netherlands is going to decide in finances how this will be managed?
Will we go back into modern slavery where the country will work like a slave and the money will truly stay in Aruba, or will the Netherlands get the power to collect and give Aruba whatever it wants? Will this be a good future for Aruba? We must not forget that Aruba has already lived this story where our gold went to the Netherlands and Aruba itself did not enjoy its harvest. Is this the direction that the governance of AVP and FUTURO is pushing Aruba into?
Political treaties point to the decisions that the governance of AVP and FUTURO are making, who appear to collaborate with the pressures from the Netherlands, including the handling surrounding legislative projects such as the Rijkswet HOFA. The question that the entire people must ask is: what is the true goal behind this collaboration?
Recent statements and the follow-up of state secretaries’ plans show an alarming political betrayal. Figures such as FUTURO minister Geoffrey Wever, Gerlien Croes, Mike Eman (AVP), the plenipotentiary minister Milly Schwengle, together with Dutch State Secretary Eric van der Burg, are pointed out as key actors pushing measures that could undermine Aruba’s internal sovereignty. The viewpoints being heard seem to want to “re-colonize Aruba” under the pretext of financial support.
To put this into perspective, Aruba’s status as an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands is not an isolated case, but forms part of a select group of territories around the world that emerged from a colonial past without opting for total independence, maintaining a strong constitutional tie:
• Within the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba (1986), Curaçao (2010), and Sint Maarten (2010)—a different status aparte from Aruba’s.
• In Free Association: Cook Islands and Niue with New Zealand.
• Within the Kingdom of Denmark: Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Similarly, countries across the global territory such as those in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia fought for their own economic and political freedom. The painful irony is that while other countries fought to protect their autonomy against external influence, today it is the very local rulers of AVP and FUTURO who are opening the door to take away the same freedom that Betico Croes left behind for the people of Aruba.
The people of Aruba must remain alert. Internal autonomy is not a gift; it is a conquered right that must be defended with tooth and nail. Today, Betico Croes’s struggle faces its greatest test against political ambitions that place party interest above the future of the homeland. Aruba’s flag, its florin, and its future remain in the hands of a people who cannot allow the sacrifices of the past to be discarded for a false promise of financial relief.
The immigrants who have chosen Aruba to come and live must also be well aware. Leaving their countries more than anyone else, they must know the difference between living in a free, autonomous country or a colonized country. Now, do we want this for Aruba? Just like they remember their own country’s freedom and autonomy and honor their flag, this is the support that Aruba also needs to maintain its autonomy and hold the flag and anthem of Aruba, the country they have made their second home.