The AVP must work on internal reform urgently. The actions of prominent members of the party have now cast a dark cloud over all the great achievements of AVP. These events have caused the credibility of the party to be undermined. Every day AVP candidates are faced with accusations that the party is corrupt.
It is time for AVP to take responsibility for its image by returning to the norms and values of good governance. The party had to renew its commitment to Mito Croes’ vision to raise the quality of governance and politics in Aruba.
The reality is that without a commitment to integrity, AVP does not deserve the trust of the people to govern. If the party does not show seriousness for its integrity, all the shouts that AVP must save Aruba is just a pretext to not see itself in the mirror. Without commitment to truth, every call to the streets is nothing more than an expression of desire for political power, while just such power is corrupt.
Everyone saw the need for profound change in AVP, except for a small group of party fans. The need for reform was painfully illustrated by the situation with Mike de Meza. As a prominent member of the AVP, he came out in defense of the questionable way Eddie Briesen negotiated with Lee Tofanelli and Associates Inc. Representing the AVP, Mike de Meza publicly denied that he as a minister had received a negative cassatieadvies, while documents show that Mike de Meza received the advice to the Supreme Court, whether the cassatieadvies were positive. Mike de Meza also said that he did not exonerate Eddie Briesen, but again documents (a letter from De Meza addressed to lawyer Lejuez and a vaststellingsovereenkomst between Pais Aruba and Eddie Briesen) show that he is lying: it was Mike de Meza himself who managed to drag Eddie Briesen’s case in, without any possibility of reviving the case. The De Meza chain is responsible for the damage caused by this case.
However, instead of paying attention to De Meza, the party still keeps its hands on its head by remaining silent, claiming that there is an uneasy peace. The silence of the party carries a strong message: we do not criticize prominent members and we do not criticize the party. They show that they have no respect for the truth. Silence expresses a culture of cowardice and reveals a willingness to deceive people.
This same silence we can all see in the case of Paul Croes. The party had to explain to Paul Croes that since the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that he was a suspect in the Ibis case, prudence is required for him to resign and distance himself from politics until the judge brings clarity to his case. This was necessary to defend the image of Aruba’s political institutions. However, Paul Croes’ personal interest prevailed.
The party even allowed Paul Croes to campaign for the 2017 election. Paul Croes himself later opted out of the campaign, while endorsing two other prominent AVP members: Mike de Meza and Richard Visser. For all of Aruba it is obvious that AVP does not want to take responsibility, as long as the solution is not difficult.
The party must answer the critical questions: what exactly happened in Paul’s case? How could this corruption have taken place? What will AVP do to prevent repeated violations of integrity?
In Benny’s case the story repeats itself: at no point did the party want to explain to this prominent member that since the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that he was a suspect in the Avestruz case, prudence is required for Benny to resign and distance himself from politics until the judge clarifies his case. This has nothing to do with his guilt, but with our commitment to protecting the integrity of our institutions. Moreover, the fact that Benny did not distance himself shows a lack of consideration for the reputational interests of the AVP as the oldest existing party. Rather the party itself decided to defend Benny, to attack the Attorney General and point fingers at Evelyn Wever-Croes. Again the message is that the personal interests of prominent members prevail.
Internal reform is necessary, because without a commitment to integrity the AVP has no moral authority to accuse anyone of lack of integrity. Without a commitment to integrity, AVP simply does not deserve the trust of the people to govern. Without a commitment to integrity, the slogan that the party must “save Aruba” is nothing more than opportunism.
But if the AVP truly believes in the vision of the late Mito Kroes, the party is obliged to take decisive steps. To start AVP needs to transform the governance structure of the party, it needs to come up with a code of integrity, it needs to identify functions that are at high risk to integrity and it needs to come up with internal screening processes. The need for transformation also includes the financial part of the party. It is only when AVP takes responsibility for its own way of working that the cloud
