Serge Mansur

AGM 2006

This past Wednesday, the Aruba Trade & Industry Association held its annual membership meeting at the ATIA Building. Membership turnout was quite large, and the election results demonstrated the members’ confidence in the board by unanimously reelecting all those boardmembers that were up for reelection.

The ATIA Board wishes to thank the membership for the turnout and also for the vote of confidence.

We also wish to thank our guest speaker, Mr. Gelt Dekker who gave a very interesting presentation. The issues he brought up are all very important. We understand that there are those that disagree with ATIA’s decision to bring in a speaker from abroad, but we believe that it is exactly such people that bring an objective point of view to the issues that face our country.

It is also very important to point out that ATIA’s priority is to solve our country’s problems, not sweep them under the rug as some would have it.

Government Building

These past few weeks there has been some discussion about the possible sale of the Government & Parliament buildings (L. G. Smith Blvd. 72 & 76).

We believe that the Government’s idea to divest itself of the property in question is a good one. The building is in bad shape, it is not very attractive, and its design is not very efficient. Furthermore, the economic potential of the property can be much better realized if it is developed by the private sector.

Such a development will have far-reaching effects for the economy of Oranjestad. A lot of parking will be freed-up, and a well thought-out and implemented plan can breathe new life into our downtown area. We urge the Government to discuss the details with all stakeholders so that the best possible result is obtained for all involved.

Some of the issues that need to be looked at include: Designating some of the property for parking, saving as much as possible of the flora on the property, and coming up with creative ventures (to avoid having more of the same) to bring a better balance to the choices of goods and services offered to our population as well as our visitors.

Naturally, it is essential that the whole process be done in a open and transparent way.

Press Releases by the Government/Mep

We took note that there was an unsigned press release last week, which was distributed by the spokesperson of the Government, regarding the verdict in the Prosecutor General’s case against some members of the press and some members of the opposition.

The tone and language of the press release in question was completely below all standards of decency. We hope that the Government does not agree with the press release, and we urge the Government to distance itself from all such statements, for they serve only to undermine our democracy and its institutions.

We also hope that steps will be taken against those that would write and distribute such below-standard garbage.

Regarding another press release related to the ATIA’s recent criticism of the Government’s poor financial management, we wish to remind all public employees (including ministers) that you are obligated by law (Article 200 – Wetboek van Strafvordering) to immediately disclose to the proper authorities all knowledge (or even suspicion) of illegal acts. This includes acts by those you like and those you dislike. Failure to do so means that you are in violation of the law. Innuendo and gossip does not qualify.

We further urge our elected officials to make an attempt to stick to the issues as much as possible. We understand that everyone has the right to exercise free speech, and we would not dream of trying to undermine that important right. However, we do feel that our Government should address the issues that are brought forward without trying to divert attention by resorting to personal attacks and insinuation.

Additional Taxes

In the early 80’s President Ronald Reagan said: “We don’t have deficits because people are taxed too little. We have deficits because big government spend too much”. This is exactly what is happening in Aruba.

From 2000 – to 2004, personnel-related expenses increased from 375 million to 593 million. A yearly increase of almost 220 million florin per year or over 50%! Our community is now being asked to (again) pay for this irresponsible misuse of public funds.

The ATIA will not accept an increase in taxes, for it is obvious that this will only encourage our public officials to increase their spending yet again.

We insist that the Government must curtail its ridiculously excessive expenses by doing what our prime minister promised in 2003: Lower personnel costs and safeguard the AZV and AOV. We feel that the AZV problem has been brought mostly under control, but regrettably the problem of the personnel costs have gotten much, much worse.

It is not acceptable that he Aruban community is presented the bill for the lack of discipline on the part of our government.

The Government must lower its expenses. If that is done in a responsible way, there is no need to to add to the already excessive tax burden on our community.

ATIA

ATIA is Aruba’s largest NGO with over 200 members which employ more than 13,000 Arubans. As such we strive to achieve a better socio-economic climate for all segments of our population.

It is regrettable that we have no choice but to dedicate this flash to our Government’s public finances yet again.

As we have brought forward so many times in the past, our island’s public sector is much too large and therefore way too expensive for this small community of ours. While it should be Government’s task to serve our island’s needs, in reality the public sector has reached a point where it has been reduced to virtually plundering our community to be able to sustain itself.

The focus of our Government has gone terrible astray. Instead of working for the people, the people are now working to pay for a bureaucracy which we simply cannot afford, and which is not complying with its responsibilities. Indeed, the budget for 2006 has not even been delivered to Parliament yet!

Instead of dedicating so much time and effort searching for ways to extract more and more money from the Aruban community, our Government must make a concerted effort to fix what is broken. By bleeding our private sector dry, we are actually doing damage to our productive sector while making our problems worse.

Our roads are in terrible shape, our children are not getting the education they deserve, crime is on the increase, the services provided by the Government are not up to standard, yet the Government seems solely focused on finding new ways to squeeze ever more money from the Aruban community to maintain an increasingly expensive system of nepotism that is eroding the very foundation of our nation.

The latest published report from the Central Bank shows that our island’s financial situation is deteriorating at an accelerating rate in spite of record tax receipts. By lacking financial discipline our country is being weakened in several ways:

• Our economy is already starting to feel the negative consequences of the terrible    financial situation. Once the goose that lays the golden eggs is killed, there will be nowhere else to turn.
• Our privileged position within the Dutch Kingdom is in danger. If we wish to maintain our Status Aparte we need to demonstrate that we deserve it. So far we have certainly not done that. If it gets to the point where we need to be bailed out, we will certainly lose some of our autonomy. By driving ourselves to (over?) the edge of bankruptcy we are absolutely not strengthening our position
• The foundations upon which a successful society are based, such as a fair and just legal system, good education for all, a strong work ethic, fairness in applying    rules and laws, mutual respect, etc. are all being eroded. The practice of filling the government with people based on their loyalty to politicians instead of their             capabilities has done enormous harm to all facets of our society, and will continue to do so for many years.

The ATIA again calls on those politicians elected to manage this country to do so in a responsible manner and for the benefit of all who call this country home. It is of crucial importance that we start to turn away from that looming iceberg straight ahead. This is the year that our government needs to demonstrate courage, wisdom, and (most importantly) love for our island by taking the steps that must be taken.

These steps will be painful, but they are necessary. By ignoring this reality we are only making a bad situation worse.

As always, ATIA stands ready to assist in any way as long as it is in the best interest of the Aruban Community as a whole. But, as has been said before, the ATIA can not in good conscience cooperate with any measure which asks our community to increase its contribution to a public sector which is not functioning.

ATIA

ATIA is Aruba’s largest NGO with over 200 members which employ more than 13,000 Arubans. As such we strive to achieve a better socio-economic climate for all segments of our population.

To learn more about ATIA or to become a member visit www.atiaruba.org.