The Minister of Labor in his role as Most Powerful Rookie granted us a Monday off, endorsed by a decree, because Dia di Betico falls on Sunday, he figured we deserve a day off on Monday, with holiday pay.

He is a lawyer, yet he did not read the language of the law carefully, creating confusion. His generosity had no legal basis. So he pedaled backwards. But still government employees get a day off while the private sector must work.

He did ask employers to let workers go pretty-please, which is an unreasonable, and unprecedented request.

Public holidays in Aruba are established by nation legislation, there are no exception, except exceptional circumstances. During the pandemic, which was a justifiable special circumstance, we got an extra day off.

This blunder is not first, it happened before, as an all-mighty minister decides to grant an extra day off. My friends reminded me of Otmar Oduber, after children carnival parade, and during the MEP government in 2021.

Yesterday, it turned out, the government did not have a legal basis to move the Betico Day official holiday from Sunday to Monday. But as I said, government employees get a break.

This blunder is a reminder that government is not almighty, and we hope this humbles the future leader of AVP — according to a poll and the current party leader. Our government cannot make decision and change laws in the afterthought, to match its wishes.

Same rules apply to the Kackling Pega Pega. Some song rules were not followed and despite huge acceptance the song did not qualify. Not to worry we will all be kackling on parade. Lord Lally has participated in Carnival music festivals since the 60s, he was the youngest participants and because the island did not host child and youth competitions he went in as an adult singer, with some of our best past calypsonians. Lord Lally has contributed for decades but never got the attention he deserves, and now he is the talk of the town.

The Kackling can still be picked as Road Jam, if the song holds its popularity in the next 3 weeks. I liked the fact that the lyrics include the protected status of the Pega Pega, it cannot be killed. Pa Bien to the Hot Ones, the band, and to Divi Links, where Lord Lally works.

In another instance, we were told in the media that the Aruba House director in the Netherlands, is under investigation, suspended with pay. I asked around trying to find some more information out, but everyone’s lips are sealed. This is another one, in a string of public employees getting in trouble, then chewed up and spit out by the system.

In the case of the suspended director, it smacks of a politically motivated falling out of love. She was appointed by the previous government and did not find favor with the current set. She is a lawyer so we can assume perhaps an administrative investigation not a criminal one.

However, if indeed, you are investigating an administrative issue, why give it headlines? You should be discreet and hasty, careful not to commit character assassination and you should not clump it in with a convicted previous director, because then you imply guilt by association.

Investigate all you want, rules are rules, but respect privacy because one day, when it happens to you, you would wish you were more careful.

I asked some of my friends with economic credentials to comment on the “Financial Relief for the Elderly,” exempting retirees with income up to Awg 30.000 a year, from paying the AZV premium.

As of end of 2024, there were about 20,626 people aged 65 or older living in Aruba. That age group made up about 19.0 % of the total population. The exemption from paying the AZV premium is relevant to those only relying on AOV, the government pension, for income. Many of our retirees still work, full time and part time, many hide their additional income, but lets says that more than 10,000 people will now have about Awg 500 extra in their pockets.

Not bad. They deserve help, they are the most vulnerable.

It was a politically motivated decision. Of course the elderly are a priority, but was it the right thing to do??

The decision was made by our prime minister and the minister of health. They were beaming when they announced the new measure.

Reactions from my friends with economic credentials:

AZV Has a surplus. And Mike likes to be Santa Claus. But yes, it helps that group to lower costs, of course. It would have been nice to see increased services like psychologist and more specialists, instead.

Someone, somewhere will have to cover that bill. AZV is a socialistic idea, with a built-in inequality since government employees are eligible to AZV +, a medical package with special inclusions above and beyond everyone else. That is the most unfair part of it. The fact that AZV collects 3 million florins each day from our economy, and that is about 70% of what our economy gives the public sector, in total 4.5 million/day, it makes me think that we spend way too much on corrective medical activities, and extraordinarily little on preventive. So yes, sure, give our poor elderly a break from taxation…but if you REALLY want to give lower income demographics higher value, start giving more services to the public. The government spend 4.5 million a day, which means throwing away our hard-earned florin, which causes prices to go up. That means actual income decreases for everybody. And that is bad for our health.

I wish the government would think about the 20- to 60-year-olds more, and would make their life easier, since they earn the big bucks that allow us to run this country. Improve public transportation, lower the tax on gas?!

Politically, it is an attractive and easy-to-communicate decision, especially given rising living and healthcare costs. The real question, however, is whether this is the right instrument. Reducing premiums improves affordability for pensioners, but it also reduces revenue for AZV. Without transparency into how that shortfall is covered or what cost-control measures accompany it, the policy risks shifting financial pressure elsewhere rather than addressing the underlying sustainability issues. In short, it may be socially understandable, but it should be judged by whether it is part of a broader, responsible healthcare financing strategy rather than a standalone gesture.

You are absolutely right! It was politically motivated, but obviously the cost of living is where the pressure is most visible and most immediate. Income discussions mean little if basic expenses keep rising faster than wages and pensions. Housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and transportation are now absorbing a disproportionate share of household income, especially for lower- and middle-income residents and retirees. If policy does not directly address these structural cost drivers, any fiscal adjustment risks shifting the burden onto those least able to absorb it. The real question should therefore be how to lower everyday living costs sustainably, not just how to rebalance budgets on paper.

What caught my attention in the article is the wording used by the AZV director, Edwin Jacobs. He confirms that this measure will not create an immediate problem for AZV and that there is room within BAZV to absorb it. That qualifier is important. The IMMEDIATE is raising alarms here. What seems to be missing from the reassurance is the longer-term demographic reality. We already know that Aruba is aging rapidly, with more people entering the system than there are young contributors coming in behind them. That trend is structural, not temporary. If this is not fully built into the projections, then we are again buying time instead of solving the problem.

This feels like another policy band-aid. It is administratively easy to adjust contributions or benefits and declare short-term stability, but much harder to address the root cause: the cost of living. When living costs keep rising, more people inevitably become dependent on AZV and other social supports. You cannot stabilize healthcare financing while ignoring housing, utilities, food prices, and overall affordability. My concern is not whether AZV survives this year or next. It is whether, ten years from now, there will be a real buffer in place for the next wave of elderly people. If the cost of living is not tackled seriously, we will look back and realize that this was another moment where short-term calm was prioritized over long-term sustainability.

Earlier in the month we were told that the former Ennia Insurance owner, Iranian American businessman Hushang Ansari, 1927 – 2026, passed away.

I wrote about the ENNIA and the scandals surrounding that company several times, beginning with 2018, when the CBCS, Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten, requested emergency measures for that company.

We know that insurance is a risky business, but we did not realize how risky it is. For quite a few years we have been reading articles from St. Martin about Ennia, about irregularities but then the hurricanes came and that insurance company that promises worry free living, was in financial trouble, and could not meet its obligation. In fact, that company was in distress way before the hurricane struck. The wind and water only aggravated the situation.

The story of Ennia involves all kind of important people and deserves a movie script. Basically, a very shrewd businessman by the name of Hushang Ansary who was the Minister of Economic Affairs to the deposed Shah of Iran, escaped to the U.S. with his fortune, in the billions, when the Ayatollah Khomein took that country over. Ansary settled down to operate in the U.S. and had substantial business deals going on in the Dutch Caribbean.

Ennia was one of his businesses. He also owned Banco di Caribe, once upon a time.

(These days, our interest in Iran had increased. The late Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince, who has been living in Washington DC, move to Paris last year, to help fan the flame of revolt in his homeland. If you have been following you know that the former flag, the imperial Lion and Sun flag has been seen flying in the violently crashed demonstrations in Iran recently.)

Ansary was once considered a member of “the Shah’s Inner Circle,” by the CIA, so it is safe to assume he learned a trick or two by serving the Pahlavi imperial family during his most formative years. As a former member of one of the most corrupt and totalitarian regimes, he treated company money as his own, and spent it.

In essence, Ansari left ENNIA high and dry syphoning vast amounts of money from that company, over 570 million euro, leaving a big hole in the budget. (The courts finally held him liable for an approximate sum of 522 million euro, rather than the previously claimed 1 billion.)

The watchdogs, who were supposed to watch the cash failed in their mission including the accounting firm, the board, and the Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten.

Over time, Ennia was reorganized according to Life, Damage and Health categories, and became Ennia Caribe Schade NV, Ennia Caribe Zorg NV, while Aruba broke away as Ennia Caribe Leven Aruba and Ennia Caribe Shade Aruba NV, under the solid supervision of Aruba’s Central Bank.

Today this column remembers the master embezzler, for leaving a huge financial hole, when pensioners who saved for their retirement needed to be rescued by the Ennia Resolution plan, agreed upon by CBCS and the governments of Curacao and Sint Maartin.

Honesty should be expected, but never presumed.

I wrote about the opening of Princess Casino this week. At the time I did not know that the local banks have turned down their application for a bank account.

But this is not new.

When the Aura Casino, at Occidental Grand Aruba, now Barcelo Hotel, closed in 2015, it turned out post-bankruptcy, it was operating without a bank account. The post-mortem reported irregular transactions and other procedural violations. When the operator disappeared, he left unpaid rent, and 44 employees without work, it highlighted issues in casino licensing, labor laws and financial transparency.

The banks here are cautious, not wishing to be burnt. Anti–money laundering and counter–terrorism financing laws, are strictly upheld here, regulating customer due diligence.

In the case of Princess Casino, when taken to court, the banks defended their position explaining that they have obligations toward their clients and cannot risk their good standing in international banking circles. Any irregularity could damage their relationships with international correspondent banks and make international transaction from Aruba impossible.

There is a lot at stake, they said.

From a reader’s point of view, common sense dictates that you take care of all requirements BEFORE you open, even before you build. And those who granted the casino license should have made it contingent on securing a bank account.

Princess casino held a public opening, invited us all to a party, ahead of crossing all their t’s and dotting all their i’s.

That property did the same with its beach exploitation permits. It attempted to regulate it after the fact.

Developer Natura NV and operator Princess Casino, made the investment first, thinking permits and licenses will automatically follow.

For the opening, the casino invited the government including the prime minister. The minister of Economic Affairs and Finance made an appearance praising the investment. Did he know the joint opened without a bank account. No. How would he know that a business has the audacity to open without one?

The Aruba Bank, Caribbean Mercantile Bank (CMB), and RBC, defended their position in court, last week, when Princess Aruba, the operator of the casino at the Embassy Suites, tried to force them to accept it as a client.

As reported in 24ORA: Princess Casino opened its doors on January 14th, but it does not have a local bank account. Despite investing about USD 5 million over two years to create a first-class casino, Princess claims it was denied a basic payment account by all local commercial banks at the last moment.

In the case of RBC Bank, Princess casino argued, it already has a relationship with the bank via Princess’s casino in Sint Maarten. RBC responded that each country has its own regulatory framework and central bank, and that conditions in Sint Maarten and Aruba differ.

CMB cited serious reputational concerns regarding Princess’s ultimate beneficial owner, UBO, alleging involvement in activities that raise suspicions of illegality. And Aruba Bank referred to its case with the container yard and its operator Otmar Oduber where the bank claimed it had no general obligation to open accounts. Because Banco di Caribe was still evaluating the case, the banks stated that not all avenues were closed, and forcing their hand was premature.

Bottom line: Since the survival of Aruba’s banking sector depends on those correspondent relationships abroad, the banks stated they cannot risk them by entering a commercial relationship with Princess.

Why wasn’t the paperwork taken care of ahead of time?

Let us see what the judge says on February 5th.

Accidents? We’ve had too many

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/accidents-weve-had-too-many/

Integrity Was Promised. Corruption Kept Winning, written by a reader

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/integrity-was-promised-corruption-kept-winning-written-by-a-reader/

What a picture can tell, about the airport

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/what-a-picture-can-tell-about-the-airport/

Gaia hosts an exclusive press tasting event

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/gaia-hosts-an-exclusive-press-tasting-event/

Princess Casino is the 13th casino on the island

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/princess-casino-is-the-13th-casino-on-the-island/

Hospitality in numbers, from an AHATA press release

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/hospitality-in-numbers/