A pressing question has arisen regarding the upcoming trip of 12 members of Aruba’s Parliament to The Netherlands for the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO). Critics, including Otmar Oduber of the PPA, are questioning why such a large delegation is traveling for 10 days to The Hague without a clear agenda, and how much this will cost taxpayers.
Oduber pointed out that while Parliament is preparing for the trip, the Aruban Government recently bypassed the authority of Parliament by submitting the consensus Rijkswet directly to the Kingdom Council of Ministers without prior parliamentary approval. He emphasized that this undermines the role of Parliament as the institution responsible for oversight and decision-making.
Oduber reminded the public that three current ministers – Gerlien Croes, Arthur Dowers, and Geoffrey Wever – signed the 2022 negotiation agreement with the Kingdom, which stipulated that any consensus Rijkswet must first be presented and approved by the individual parliaments before submission. According to him, the Government knowingly ignored this process.
He also questioned the timing of the decision, noting that the Netherlands currently has a demissionary government with minimal parliamentary support. “Why rush to submit a Rijkswet to a caretaker government instead of waiting for elections and a new administration in the Netherlands?” he asked.
Oduber warned that similar laws did not bring solutions in Curaçao, only greater interference by the Netherlands in local affairs. Instead, he proposed genuine cooperation under Article 36 of the Kingdom Charter, such as reducing Aruba’s interest rates and strengthening local constitutional safeguards with a two-thirds parliamentary majority requirement for changes.
Concluding, Oduber criticized the parliamentary delegation, calling the trip a costly “snoepreisje” (pleasure trip) at the expense of the people. He urged Parliament to respect its role, rebuild public trust, and follow the proper process agreed upon in 2022.
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