Aruba is currently in a moment of celebration, marking 50 years of our National Anthem and Flag and 40 years of our Status Aparte. Yet at this very moment, the government has decided to deliver a blow to the people by forcing through the HOFA law without the support of the population, the MEP parliamentary faction declared today with strong indignation.
Consensus Without Consensus
The MEP faction presented several facts that, according to them, demonstrate that this law cannot be called a “consensus law” in the Rijksministerraad meeting tomorrow in the Netherlands:
- 10,000 workers, represented by the majority of labor unions, have said NO.
- More than 10,000 citizens have signed a petition rejecting this process.
- Nearly half of Parliament (10 out of 21 members) does not support the law.
“When you ignore the voices of so many people and bypass your own Parliament, you break the very foundation of our democracy. This is not leadership; this is imposing a will on a people who have already raised the alarm,” the faction emphasized.
Against Our Constitution and Our Struggle
MEP reminded the community that the law in its current form goes against Aruba’s Constitution (Staatsregeling).
According to the faction, it is painful to see that 40 years after achieving Status Aparte, there are now efforts to weaken Aruba’s autonomy with a law that was neither properly debated nor accepted by the island’s elected representatives.
“Our struggle in the past was for the right to decide our own path. Forcing this law is a step backward in our history.”
Hope and Determination
Despite the developments, the MEP faction sent a strong message of determination.
“The people of Aruba can count on us. We will not allow anyone to tamper with the dignity of our country or the rights of our workers. We will use every legal and political instrument available to defend our autonomy and our democracy.”
The MEP faction concluded:
“Our commitment is to the 10,000 signatories, to the workers, and to every family that believes in a free Aruba. We will continue to fight for the respect that our National Anthem and Flag represent.”
