DOW Aruba reform can no longer remain focused only on identifying problems. The central challenge now is turning diagnosis, reports and government commitments into measurable improvements for residents, businesses and investors.
On Tuesday, Comerciantenan Uni di Aruba President Frans Ponson raised concerns about the Department of Public Works, arguing that applications remain unanswered for long periods, permits can take too long, roads continue deteriorating and residents often lack clarity about when problems will be resolved.
The important point is that the existence of a problem is no longer seriously disputed.
Businesses are reporting delays. Residents experience infrastructure problems directly. Government itself has acknowledged that DOW faces significant organizational and operational challenges.
The diagnostic phase therefore cannot become permanent.
Organizational Review Must Lead to Change
In March 2026, government commissioned an organizational scan of DOW.
The review was intended to examine a department that plays a central role in Aruba’s infrastructure, public projects and services to residents.
Such a review can be useful for identifying weaknesses in staffing, organization, procedures and capacity.
But an organizational scan does not repair a road, process a delayed application or provide certainty to an entrepreneur waiting for a decision.
Its value will ultimately depend on what government does with the findings.
Execution Must Become the Priority
Infrastructure Minister Rene Herdé has publicly acknowledged that assuming responsibility means listening, understanding problems and working transparently toward solutions.
He has also emphasized that responsible government must go beyond announcing projects and must actually implement them.
That emphasis on execution is important because delays continue to accumulate while government works on longer-term reforms.
Earlier statements from the minister have also pointed to a substantial backlog in infrastructure maintenance involving roads, drainage systems, public buildings and other facilities.
If maintenance continues to be postponed, the financial burden can become even greater.
This makes infrastructure deterioration more than a series of isolated potholes or individual complaints. It becomes a national planning and investment problem.
DOW Is About More Than Roads
Public discussion about DOW often focuses on asphalt and road conditions, but the department’s responsibilities extend much further.
Its work touches public buildings, schools, signage, public spaces, heavy equipment, road maintenance and construction-related processes.
The department also plays an important role in development and building-permit procedures.
When a department with responsibilities across so many areas experiences delays, the consequences spread throughout the economy.
A delayed permit is not simply a document sitting on a desk.
It can mean a restaurant that cannot open, a building that cannot be renovated, an investment that remains frozen, financing costs without corresponding revenue and jobs that are not created.
Eventually, repeated delays can also reduce confidence in public administration.
Entrepreneurship Requires Administrative Certainty
This is where the criticism from CUA becomes especially relevant.
Government frequently speaks about stimulating entrepreneurship, attracting investment and diversifying Aruba’s economy.
Those objectives become harder to achieve when entrepreneurs cannot predict how long an administrative process will take.
A business owner does not necessarily need every answer immediately.
But an investor does need clarity.
If an application will take three months, six months or longer, government should communicate that timeline instead of leaving people in uncertainty.
Predictability itself is an important part of an investment climate.
Economic Figures Add Urgency
Recent figures showing fewer business establishment permits in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025 should not automatically be blamed on DOW.
There may be many reasons for such a decline.
However, those numbers reinforce the importance of removing unnecessary administrative barriers at a time when government says it wants more entrepreneurship and economic diversification.
The objective should therefore be straightforward: simplify procedures, improve coordination, strengthen departmental capacity and provide applicants with clear timelines.
Aruba Needs Measurable Results
The solution is unlikely to be another slogan, another review or another announcement by itself.
Government should establish measurable targets.
How long should a building-permit application take?
How many outstanding cases should be cleared each month?
Which roads will be repaired this year?
What budget has been assigned?
When should citizens expect an answer after submitting a request?
Those are the kinds of indicators residents and businesses can use to judge whether reform is actually working.
The need for DOW Aruba reform has already been diagnosed. The next phase must be execution: clearer deadlines, stronger capacity, transparent reporting and results that residents and businesses can actually see and measure.
