ORANJESTAD (AAN): Parliamentarian Evelyn Wever-Croes recently addressed the Fase payments Aruba 2020 during a discussion about the government’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The General Audit Chamber (ARA) issued its report for 2020, raising some critical observations regarding how the Wever-Croes II government handled the situation. According to ARA, the government made Fase payments to help those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic before the necessary legislation was officially in place.
In her response, Evelyn Wever-Croes emphasized the importance of putting ARA’s observations in context. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact, and at that time, there was no clear law to guide how to address such a crisis. Despite this, the Wever-Croes government was committed to helping citizens who were in urgent need to ensure families could survive the global crisis.
After realizing the severe consequences of the pandemic on Aruba’s workforce, Ex-Minister Glenbert Croes informed the Ex-Prime Minister of the estimated number of people who would be affected, with more than 12,000 individuals losing their jobs and not eligible for support under existing laws.
This led the government to urgently develop a plan, known as Fase, to provide support. The government worked with professionals and advisors to initiate the Fase payments, ensuring help reached those in need while waiting for the formal approval of the law.
Wever-Croes emphasized that Fase helped 12,246 individuals who lost their jobs during the pandemic, allowing citizens to support their families through the end of the month.
“If I must make a decision again in a situation like this, where we need to help people to survive and feed their families while awaiting the law to be passed, I would choose to implement the vision while awaiting the law’s approval,” Parliamentarian Wever-Croes stated.
The law was officially passed in July 2022, a year and a half later, and covered the actions taken by the Wever-Croes government during the pandemic. Wever-Croes stressed that there was no illegal action taken in the initial payments, as the government acted while waiting for the law to be finalized.
In conclusion, Parliamentarian Evelyn Wever-Croes emphasized that the Fase payments allowed over 10,000 citizens to support their families during the crisis, marking a key moment in Aruba’s pandemic response.
