The main discussion in Aruba today, which is directly tied to the future of our country, is in the hands of the Kingdom Laws: the Kingdom Law HOFA and the LWHO. The defenders of these laws, led by the AVP-FUTURO Government, have backed Aruba into a corner through pressure and intimidation from the Netherlands, which started during the tenure of State Secretary Raymond Knops.
This pressure arrived during the most difficult times, right alongside the enormous debt that AVP created with PPP projects between 2005 and 2017. That management put Aruba in a financially unacceptable position, and when the pandemic hit, the Netherlands took advantage of this vulnerability to impose strict conditions.
The scenario was a legal and financial crossroads: if the administrative agreement (bestuurlijk akkoord) was not signed to pave the way for the Kingdom Law, Aruba would not have received the crucial liquidity to survive. The direct consequence of not signing would have been a total collapse: the government apparatus would have crashed, and there would have been a high risk of vandalism and social tension due to the lack of funds to pay civil servants, food scarcity, and a direct threat to national security.
However, an administrative agreement is, in its legal essence, an executive commitment and not a final approved law. Legally, this means that the room to negotiate the points should have been properly addressed with transparency before formalizing the agreements to convert them into a Kingdom Law. This did not happen.
Yet, we all know by now that in the transition from that preliminary agreement to the current Kingdom Law, the structural changes and transition were formally sealed by the AVP-FUTURO Cabinet.
Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations and a 180-Degree Turn by Prime Minister Mike Eman
What causes outrage in the community is that these negotiations took place behind closed doors without proper consultation with the Parliament of Aruba. The meeting has not been recalled to this day, which shows that the President of the Parliament of Aruba has completely turned their back on the people.
There is a clear and radical 180-degree turn on the part of Prime Minister Mike Eman. After being a fierce opponent of a Kingdom Law for Aruba, today the “new political seeds”—who seem to put money before principles, led by Minister Geoffrey Wever and Gerlien Croes—want to hand over control of the country to the Netherlands.
What do we call this process? A policy of surrender? A betrayal of the people who placed their trust and votes in them?
The main pretext used by these officials is that Aruba will receive a large sum of money for investment. However, they themselves do not even know what the actual amount is. The advice of the Council of State (Raad van State) was very clear and compelling: there is no clarity or transparency regarding the amount of money the Netherlands will lend Aruba for these PPP projects. Basically, it is a second wave of PPP projects, using the same financial system that drove Aruba into major debt problems in the past.
This demonstrates that the marketing and propaganda of the “three heads” pushing this HOFA Kingdom Law is a reckless and directionless policy, far removed from Aruba’s well-being, and focused on an attempt to continue structurally influencing the community with empty promises.
To this day, the AVP-FUTURO Government has at no point made an official announcement, nor have they opened a public and national space to provide information on what the government’s actual stance is regarding the work they have done on the HOFA Kingdom Law, which will have a severely negative effect on Aruba. Does it appear that the government is hiding the reality of what they are causing from the people?
This failure to face the public and assume democratic responsibility raises the question: How can this attitude be categorized? As a total lack of political courage? The opposition informs, while AVP uses flyers to hide reality.
Meanwhile, the Political Landscape Shows Two Completely Opposite Directions:
• MEP and PPA in Action: The MEP and PPA factions are actively meeting with different sectors and providing extensive national information. The goal is to give Aruba a complete understanding of the real position, the damage, and the “surrendering” mindset of the current government. The HOFA and LWHO laws do not only affect citizens today, but they will tie down future generations who will not live in the freedom we grew up with. With these laws, local political management loses its power, transforming the Parliament of Aruba into a simple “puppet” of the Netherlands, where instructions come from abroad to be implemented without Aruba having a vote or direct input regarding its own destiny.
• AVP’s Propaganda: On the other hand, the AVP party has released a heavily sugarcoated flyer to try and showcase supposed achievements over the past year, serving as a visual distortion. This flyer runs parallel to the departure of Prime Minister Mike Eman as leader of AVP, who will step down this coming September.
Rumors in the Government Hallways: A Position in Exchange for Status Aparte?
In the hallways of government buildings in both the Netherlands and Aruba, a strong rumor is circulating that Prime Minister Mike Eman’s personal desire is to become the next Governor of Aruba, given that the current Governor’s term is coming to an end. For a person to apply for this high office, the legal framework stipulates that they must be completely out of active politics for at least two years.
The questioning among the public is whether this rumor has a real foundation and if this position is the “real price” for which Prime Minister Mike Eman surrendered the autonomy for which his ancestors fought with blood and life. Many compare this situation to what happened in political history on 12/8, a crisis that the same Eman dynasty caused in Aruba’s past.
Conclusion: The Hour of Democratic Judgment
Aruba is at a crucial moment where only the will of the people can make a difference. In the end, the electorate will democratically judge every politician, minister, and parliamentarian who votes for or against these laws. This vote will either mean the definition of their future in Aruban politics, or it will be the final burial of their careers alongside the Status Aparte that they themselves are stripping away from the people of Aruba.
While AVP hosts information nights about various supposed achievements, along with AVP congresses and new activities, Aruba is in mourning and fighting for its freedom, its status aparte, its autonomy, self-determination, the power of its parliament, and the power of its voice as Arubans. However, AVP shows that it does not give importance to the people.
On the other hand, PPA and MEP are informing the community about their rights and the current direction of Aruba, joined by voters who fight every day, voicing their concerns and signing against the HOFA and LWHO Kingdom Laws for the future of Aruba.
Vote For or Against Kingdom Laws HOFA and LWHO: It is the Future or Political End in Parliament
