Otmar Oduber, Member of Parliament in Aruba, is prohibited from participating in any international meetings under the representation of the Parliament of Aruba, according to Parliament President Marlon Sneek.
Sneek emphasized that while the President of Parliament does not have the authority to remove any member from a parliamentary commission, he is tasked with upholding decisions made by the Parliament as a whole.
This decision stems from a 2019 parliamentary agreement, originally supported by the MEP and POR factions, which determined that any parliamentarian under criminal suspicion should not represent Aruba internationally. A similar precedent was set during the tenure of Benny Sevinger, who despite being listed on several commissions, was not permitted to represent Aruba abroad during that period.
Sneek clarified that even if a member is listed on an official delegation to Parlatino (Latin American Parliament), they cannot participate if they violate an internal decision of the Parliament. In Oduber’s case, the Parliament had previously voted to remove his name from the delegation list and communicated this officially to Parlatino.
Sneek stated, “This is about respecting the will of the Parliament. Once the Parliament decides that a member should not represent Aruba internationally, that decision must be enforced.”
He confirmed that Oduber’s name will not appear on any future international delegation lists, and an official letter has been sent to Parlatino indicating that Oduber may not participate in any events or meetings under the Parliament of Aruba’s name.
