The MEP party has expressed surprise at recent remarks made by Minister Gerlien Croes, who appeared emotional about the renovation of Arubahuis, calling it “her project.” What surprised MEP even more were her claims that the MEP party had neglected the Arubahuis building.
According to MEP, this is a false accusation that indirectly questions her own colleague Geoffrey Wever, who was part of the previous Wever-Croes Cabinet and fully aware of the renovation plans.
“Once again, Minister Gerlien Croes is taking credit for something she didn’t initiate — and here is the proof,” stated MEP.
When the Wever-Croes Cabinet took over from the AVP government — a party Gerlien Croes was part of at that time — they found the Arubahuis building in a severely neglected and condemned condition. Given the historic and national value of the building, MEP approved the temporary relocation of staff and began working on a renovation plan.
It’s important to note that in 2017, Aruba was on the brink of bankruptcy, and the MEP-led government had to begin repairing the country’s financial crisis caused by the AVP administration.
The Wever-Croes Cabinet started with the project description, requested permits (since the building is a monument), and allocated 1 million florins to hire a Dutch architect to design and manage the project. The total investment was later budgeted at 11.1 million florins.
The project was submitted as part of an investment plan and went through a thorough evaluation process. It was then approved by Finance Minister Xiomara Maduro and Economy Minister Geoffrey Wever. Half of the funding was allocated for 2024, with the remainder scheduled for 2025.
This clearly shows that the renovation of Arubahuis was initiated and prepared by the Wever-Croes Cabinet, with funding secured in advance. The only responsibility left for Minister Gerlien Croes was to ensure the project’s completion.
MEP expressed that while they are glad to see the project moving forward under the current minister, they are disappointed that proper credit was not given to the previous cabinet.
“At first, we didn’t react to her emotional response — we felt it was good to see our projects continuing. But claiming that MEP neglected Arubahuis is simply not true,” the party stated.
With the facts in hand, MEP says this is another example of Minister Gerlien Croes taking credit unfairly — and once again, they feel compelled to correct the record.
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