Aruba’s Council of Advice (Raad van Advies) has accused the government of “gross negligence” on human rights and good governance, according to a critical 61-page anniversary report covered by english.24ora on October 17.
The report, marking 40 years of Status Aparte, argues that essential legislation has been delayed for years and that the island still falls short on the protection of fundamental rights. Note: this story was reported October 17.
Legislation delayed for years
According to the report, key laws have been left waiting far too long. The 2005 National Ordinance on Penitentiary Principles has still not entered into force more than 20 years after its adoption, while the prison system remains in crisis. The report notes that the Korrektie Instituut Aruba (KIA) has been repeatedly criticized and that the 2026 budget describes the facility as “worryingly poor.”
The Council also flags the delayed Corporate Governance law — proposals were received in September 2024 with a planned entry into force in January 2025, yet the law has still not been submitted. The general administrative law adopted in 2023 has likewise not entered into force, and backlogs in objections handled under the LAR (administrative appeals) procedure persist, the report says.
Political-integrity gaps
The report points to incomplete rules on political integrity: ministerial screening has existed since 2022, but no equivalent rules apply to members of Parliament, the Council observes.
Kingdom-wide monitoring proposal
As a way forward, the report proposes examining a Kingdom-wide human-rights monitoring mechanism to strengthen oversight across the Kingdom’s countries.
All findings and quotations above are attributed to the Council’s report as described by english.24ora; they are not the editorial position of ArubaNews.ca. An earlier article covered only the ceremony at which the jubilee advisory was presented to the island’s leadership.
Source: 24ora (English)
