On Aruba, we once again are at an important crossroad. With the Dutch deadline of 1 September for the implementation of the RAFT, Kingdom law Aruba Financial supervision and the lack of government to take a decision and use autonomy to try to justify the fact that they want to postpone the structural change once again to bring in the necessary financial supervision, it makes us think about what Aruba will need after Cabinet Minister Wever Croes leave.
It is important that we begin to realize that voting for the same policies as the traditional parties will not solve the country’s challenges. Over a period of about 37 years we got the same result. It’s an astronomical debt that future generations have to pay and it’s certainly a debt that ultimately we won’t be able to pay with pride. The facts speak for themselves, and I am confident that you, as a fellow citizen like me, understand all the difficult circumstances in which we live. Poverty new challenges are rising, social challenges are leading to more anxiety and well-being are going backwards.
The important question we have to ask ourselves is: What if we could do it in a quick way Can this country get out of the precarious financial situation we’re in? I propose that the next government that will have the support of the 13th parliament of Aruba, become a Professional Cabinet is listening. Primarily a professional cabinet or a technocratic cabinet is a cabinet consisting only of officials who are experts in the field that they will be appointed to. Why does Aruba need a technocratic government?
As voters, we have to come to the conclusion that we vote for the same politician and continue to support him. The same structure that we have come to know as politics for the last 37 years is impossible. so that we can expect a different result. The exchange between the green and yellow parties led to to the reality that we live today in an Aruba with a GIGA national debt of 6 billion florins, which is roughly translated to a total of AWG 243 thousand florins with the new generation between an age of 0 to 19 year olds will have to pay individually in Aruba to cover all expenses (This is based on the number of young people in CBS, quarterly demographic bulletin, 3rd quarter 2022). It is alarming to conclude that our rulers have failed our future generations without justifying the reasons. This simple fact makes it unacceptable for people to place trust in a political leader who depends on votes to extend his career, where there comes a time that the personal interest of maintaining the position will prevail over the general interest and welfare from the country of Aruba.
But if we choose a minister who is not affiliated with any political party we As an island will have a government that does not depend on popularity to govern, but governs to educate the people of Aruba on the reforms that need to be undertaken, so that Aruba can establish himself economically stronger, robust and resilient with future generations in mind, and this point is the starting point that I can sustain. A minister who doesn’t set policies based on party agendas has a little more leeway to make decisions that are politically unpopular.
A hybrid system? Sitting at the table with the AVP and MEP parties to form part of the next government will require a serious coalition in which agreements will be agreed in a way that people can regain confidence in our politics. One of the unfortunate points is that the MEP party negotiated a government that came out ahead of the MEP agenda, because in the Ministerraad/council of ministers today there are 6 MEP ministers and 2 RAIZ ministers, this is because the MEP party will always be in the majority and then there is the the important principle of unity of policy/ unity of government policy will always be the agenda of the MEPs.
We have seen this in the time of RAIZ party, who had to confirm to Aruba that they will support the law for same-sex marriage. Regrettably, our Parliament is also a tyranny of the majority, because Raiz’s faction doesn’t question the government like they promised in their perspectives that were their party program (referring to the website Raiz party https://raizaruba.com/perspectiva/, see 29 August 2023).
The difference would be if our next government could consist of 7 ministers of which 4 ministers are not affiliated to any political party but are technocratic leaders, i.e. professionals on the post that they have been given responsibility to run the country. We will see a better balance in the council of ministers. Because our government can guarantee that at the voting, there will always be a group in the majority that will not put partisan agendas first, before the general interest and well-being of the country. A deputy minister of public finance is indisputable?
The financial crisis the country is facing is due to the financial mismanagement in which the country is engaged, and we all as citizens must pay taxes in the interest of a policy based on even on a tyranny of the majority. A policy that continues to promote the personal agenda of employers during the campaign period and/or promises of employment to voters. It is a system where it led to the fact that today we have too many civil servants. If we can achieve negotiate with traditional parties so that at least Aruba has a system where our minister of Public finance is a vacuum, we can start looking at an Aruba where we will have better oversight. We’ll finally see a VAT system that’s fairer, be implemented, where you can see a minister start to reduce the costs of a structural form of government and also introducing stricter regulations for the travel and hire of cars that are imported. Funds that can be invested in other issues that are crying out for more investment.
And we’re getting closer and closer to the moment when you as a voter will have a space once again to deliver your verdict on the government’s conduct. I want to do one call upon you to join us in a dialogue to further promote a Politica Politica, where you participate in receiving information, educating yourself and have a good conscience so that tomorrow we can I began to cultivate the thought of a vision to take Aruba on a path of progress for all of us.