ORANJESTAD (AAN): Government Mediator Anselmo Pontilius, a long-time labor leader and former president of the Federation of Aruban Workers (FTA), reflected on Aruba’s development over the past four decades under Status Aparte during an interview with Matutino DIARIO.
Pontilius emphasized that Aruba has now spent forty years independently managing its own affairs, administration, and decision-making processes. “Unlike the period when Aruba was part of the Netherlands Antilles, with a central government, everything changed on January 1, 1986,” he explained. “From that moment, Aruba had its own Parliament instead of an Island Council, its own Council of Ministers, its own Central Bank, its own currency, and numerous institutions and services that began operating independently.”
He recalled that the road leading up to Status Aparte was marked by serious socio-economic challenges. As early as 1983, the devaluation of the Venezuelan bolívar severely impacted Aruba’s tourism and trade sectors. In 1984, the closure of the Caribbean Hotel delivered a major blow, followed by the devastating announcement in October 1984 that the oil refinery would permanently close.
By 1985, the refinery had fully shut down, affecting more than 40 percent of Aruba’s economy and forcing many residents to leave the island in search of work. “It was an extremely difficult period,” Pontilius noted. “If you look back now, around 1986 Aruba’s population was estimated at about 60,000 to 62,000 people. Today, based on the most recent figures, the population stands at approximately 110,000 residents, nearly double.”
Pontilius indicated that further reflections on Aruba’s Status Aparte and national development will follow in a subsequent article.
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