What should be clear is that once Aruba accepts RAFT Aruba will find itself in a lot of trouble in the future. Once Aruba accepts the RAFT, it is no longer Aruba that will make the decision, but the Netherlands in the House of Representatives at the moment that will decide where Aruba’s money will go and what is important for Aruba from the Netherlands.
According to Prime Minister Evelyn Wever Croes, this is for example if Aruba has 1 million florins for projects and Aruba wants to give it to nursing homes for the senior citizens, and the Netherlands wants to spend it to repair the roads, the money will be allocated to fix the roads, this is the reality of RAFT.
The fact is that if Aruba accepts RAFT does not mean that Aruba will be better off. Accepting RAFT means letting others decide what’s a priority in your country. Prime Minister Evelyn Wever Croes said that Aruba can pay the highest interest rate that has been granted and should not be afraid of this, because it is already happening and it is an interest that Aruba is used to.
International interest rates are also dropping and this means that the 6.5% might also drop in the future. At the moment it is true that international interest is very high, but eventually it will decrease.
The government of Aruba met with the IMF where they gave Aruba a calculation and indicated that the economy of Aruba will grow very strongly and that this will help Aruba to cover its debts.
Besides all this the MEP government since taking office had several challenges that were presented and all these challenges the government knew how to handle them properly. Looking back, all of these challenges turned out in the best way for Aruba, and today’s challenge is no different than any of the others. Aruba should be calm and have the trust that has been deposited in the government that is governing where those who did not comply, but today are complying with Aruba.