During the weekly press conference of the PPA faction, Parliamentarian Eduard Pieters raised a serious accusation: San Nicolas is not getting a chance to develop and is structurally being boycotted. According to Pieters, what people see as isolated incidents are actually a pattern of political decisions that hinder the region’s progress.
Illicit heritage, official silence – The starting point is the recent case of former parliamentarian and minister Benny Sevinger, where Dutch judges determined that valuable land in the Noord area of our island was obtained illicitly. For Pieters, the government’s reaction is alarming: hermetic silence. ‘Instead of demanding the return of these lands, the government looks the other way,’ he indicated. Pieters sees this as not just inaction but a failure to protect national heritage that belongs to the people of Aruba.
600 extra rooms, zero respect for sustainability – While government talks about sustainability and the ‘common good’ at conferences and events, reality is different. According to Pieters, the same illicitly obtained lands are planned for construction of around 600 extra rooms. ‘While people are crying out to stop hotel construction and more short-term vacation stay rooms, this is the opportunity for government to halt 600 rooms. However, in practice, by not taking action, the government is allowing more construction,’ he criticized.
The boycott against San Nicolas becomes evident – Pieters put forward a direct example: the Hotel Secrets project, which is following the legal process according to the ROPV voorbereidingsbesluit to develop more rooms in San Nicolas, is being blocked. According to Pieters, this contradicts the political promises made during the campaign to revitalize the area.
The final message from Pieters cannot be ignored. San Nicolas is not a political project, not a campaign slogan; it is a community that deserves respect, investment, and real action. ‘The government must stop talking about development and start acting for development,’ he concluded.
