We repeated the performance for the main course ordering Lamb Lollipop, served with mint garlic aioli, roasted chickpeas, asparagus and cous cous salad; Braised Short Rib al Vino Tinto, slow-braised beef short rib in a rich red wine au jus, served with patatas bravas and grilled asparagus and Grilled Spanish Beef Steak, char-grilled beef steak topped with traditional Spanish chimichurri, served with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.

At the recent IPKO, the Inter-Parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, attorney Johan Sjiem Fat, from Aruba, gave an executive summary regarding the Democratic Deficit in the Kingdom. It was the keynote speech, at the Tweede Kamer conference in The Hague, the Dutch Parliament.

IPKO invites delegates from Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, as well as politicians from the Netherlands to discuss kingdom affairs, geopolitical development, financial relations, cybersecurity, aviation connectivity. demographic trends and climate adaptations.

The keynote speech of attorney Sjiem Fat provided an update on the work of the Expert Group on the Democratic Deficit in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The group was established to identify, analyze, and evaluate proposals aimed at reducing the democratic deficit affecting Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten within the Kingdom’s constitutional framework.

The Expert Group consists of four members nominated by the Kingdom’s constituent countries and the Dutch Parliament: Dr. Aubrich Bakhuis (Chair), Dr. Nilda Arduin, Prof. Dr. Leonard Besselink, and Johan Sjiem Fat, supported by secretary Gytha Boerwinkel. Their task was to examine long-standing concerns about unequal political influence and participation within the Kingdom.

The central issue highlighted in the speech was the persistence of a democratic deficit despite more than twenty-five years of studies, reports, and reform proposals. Caribbean citizens continue to have less influence over Kingdom-level decision-making than citizens in the Netherlands. In addition, the Kingdom Government often acts as the final authority in disputes involving the Caribbean countries, raising concerns about equality, accountability, and trust within the constitutional system.

The Expert Group distinguished its work from previous studies by taking a broader perspective. It examines not only legal structures but also historical and political factors such as colonial legacies, slavery, distrust, and perceptions of inequality. The group also investigated why earlier reform efforts failed, having identified 31 proposals from past studies that were never fully implemented. A key priority was ensuring that Caribbean perspectives are properly represented and recognized in Kingdom decision-making.

To organize its analysis, the group developed a framework based on five dimensions: representation, influence, control, balance of power, and capacity. These dimensions address issues such as limited voting rights, restricted parliamentary influence over Kingdom legislation, weak accountability mechanisms, unequal decision-making power within the Kingdom Council of Ministers, the absence of an independent dispute settlement mechanism, and the institutional resources needed for meaningful participation.

So far, the group has catalogued 31 reform proposals ranging from modest institutional changes to major constitutional reforms. These include expanding the powers of special delegates, creating a Kingdom Secretariat, increasing Caribbean involvement in legislation, and strengthening dispute resolution procedures.

The group is currently conducting research, consultations, and visits across the Kingdom. Its final report, expected in autumn 2026, will focus on practical and achievable reforms aimed at strengthening equality, representation, trust, and cooperation while helping to move beyond decades of discussion without implementation.

The speech’s core argument was that the Kingdom’s democratic deficit remains a significant unresolved constitutional issue.

(The speech was highly praised for its form and content. Form? The speaker’s flawless Dutch accent. Content? The eloquent level of public discourse. Islanders are often judged for their giveaway island-flavored accents – not in this case.)

He has been in legal proceedings for a while. As you recall he could not become minister because the tax department objected, based on their experience with him as a taxpayer.

His integrity came into question.

Apparently, there were some questionable tax returns, he agreed to pay the disputed amounts then, as far as I know, it never happened.

But to wrap up the case the OM, the general prosecutor, offered the former minister, who is currently a not-particularly-active parliamentarian, to buy his way out of the pickle by means of a fine — modest Awg 5,000 each, for him and his wife.

Write a check. Wipe the slate clean.

This write-a-check method has been applied before.

BUT… we were informed that de Mesas rejected OM’s proposal, because it is based on false legal and factual information, they claimed.

The couple is making light of filing late, year after year since all documents were finally submitted and accepted by the authorities. They also state that too much time has lapsed and deny any undeclared assets or income.

OM came out with a declaration not too long ago, about personnel challenges within the detective/investigations division of the Aruba Police Force (KPA).

Because he believes it is important to respond on a timely basis so that locals receive proper responses regarding criminal investigations and prosecutions, he raised the alarm, he did not have enough detectives, and the public has been kept in the dark.

That is the reason why de Mesa was offered a deal, because OM cannot spare people to investigate and would like to close the file.

Several months ago, OM informed the Minister of Justic in a letter that the shortage of detectives within KPA had become so severe that a large number of police reports could no longer be handled. That letter was necessary because, in many cases, OM could no longer explain to the public why its reports are not being investigated.

This is not a new challenge. It has been around.

And the tactic de Mesa picked to reject offer, carries great risks if we learned anything from the experience we had with former minister Benny Sevinger, who pressed on, and got dealt a heavier sentence.

One of my friends writes: Both choices, to continue the legal battle or to accept the proposal, can have consequences. It is not only a legal battle, as a politician you must also deal with public opinions ALL the time, pressure & judgement of a small community and voters. The politician’s career, reputation, are at stake. What people don’t see is the strain and damage a case/conflict like this can put on one’s health and peace of mind and that of your family, especially when it lasts for a long time.

Return to OM: According to the OM, the cause of the problem is that successive governments have, for years, did not provide the resources needed for the officially set up staffing levels of institutions such as the KPA, KIA (the prison service), and the OM itself. Those staffing plans are based on the number of people needed to perform all legal duties. The KPA staffing plan shows that there should be many more detectives.

The agencies within the justice system do not have their own personnel budgets and are therefore completely dependent on the government. If insufficient funding is provided, it is foreseeable that not all legal duties can be conducted.

In addition, the government imposed an extra 10% budget cut on the justice services in March 2025. This 10% reduction comes on top of existing shortages.

(But the government is going to have a surplus. It can report an overall budget surplus while specific departments still experience funding shortages. A surplus simply means government revenues exceeded expenditures overall. It does not necessarily mean more funds were distributed to every agency or that staffing requests were approved.)

The statement from the OM is essentially arguing that, despite the government’s broader fiscal position, the justice sector has not received funding sufficient to meet its approved staffing levels, and that further cuts worsened the problem.

However, in relations to the surplus some issues will be helped. Gas will continue to be subsidized to keep prices from going up, and all employees in the private sector earning minimum wage currently receiving an allowance from the government (“reparatietoeslag”) Awg 125 per month, will increase. The allowance for all employees earning between minimum wage and Awg 2,500 per month will increase with an average of Awg 100 per month, based on a scale.  A total of 18,262 persons are eligible for this allowance, which is 37.4% of private sector employees. Welfare (bijstand) for those that cannot work, is increased with AFL 100 per month.

And then the Prime Minister announced his stepping down from his job on January 1st, 2027, and he did not announce a successor!

I took a drive this morning through my beloved Malmok neighborhood. It is unrecognizable. Between the construction of mega homes and the hundreds of cars parked along the way, almost up to the lighthouse it does not even resemble itself from a few years ago.

I was lucky to have had it all for myself for decades.

Notably, the cars, at Tres Trapi and Arashi, are equally divided between V and A license plates. Do locals still go out to the beach on Sunday in full force, or are car rentals using A plate cars as part of their fleet?

Who knows.

DOW did an exceptionally good job placing boulders all the way up Hudishibana, blocking the dozen alternative dirt roads carves by the ATVs/UTVs in the landscapes.

But we need rain.

It all looks gray, dull, and dusty. It rained lightly this week, a few times, and I am hopeful that summer showers will soon be here – Nature is waiting.

You should know the Government has an obligation, by law and several treaties, to PRESERVE our nature, flora & fauna. Especially the Ministers of Infrastructure and the Environment. They have that obligation, so that everything, not only ATVs/UTVs but anything that is a threat, must be mitigated. Any danger or possible damage MUST be prevented and should not even be permitted to unfold!

What we lack in Aruba is ‘handhaving,’ ENFORCEMENT of our laws and agreements. In other countries around the globe they would have NEVER permitted all this nature destruction to take place. Not even if it had hampered the economy and/or certain businesses. The law is clear, environment first, business second.

Back in 2020 the then Minister of Infrastructure Marisol Tromp proposed publicly to ban the ATVs/UTVs and take them off public roads. She proposed to respect all protected areas, beschermde gebieden, in accordance to the ROPV, our national spatial development plan. She got into major trouble with several of her colleagues and the Adventure Tourism companies saw the message on the wall and started organizing to block all efforts to curb their money-making machines. Enforcement is a huge challenge on the island, and it is felt everywhere.

From what I understand while former minister Ursell Arends tried to regulate the Adventure Tourism sector, his coalition partners prevented anything from happening, and looked the other way.

AHATA has been vocal, proposing pragmatic solutions, repeatedly. ATA has not said anything directly, they talk around the subject, about the need to protect and conserve but never point any fingers at specific threats.

Currently, under this administration, with green aspiration, Aruba Birdlife Conservation and its attorney put together a failproof case, threatening to sue the government, again, but this time in light of the very strong case they made, backed by iron-clad  legal arguments, common sense prevailed and DOW sprang into action in agreement with all other stakeholders — DIP, ACF, KPA, and DNM – the land department, the Aruba Conservation Foundation, the Police, and the Environmental Agency – they all reached an understanding.

You saw the results. Boulders from Tres Trapi to Alto Vista, and a bit later, boulders up until Bushiribana, with just one trail open for ATV/UTV traffic, until 2030 when they will be outlawed.

From my neighborhood chat: Thumbs up to Greg Peterson. Finally, someone has the courage to take action against these destructive machines. He is doing the job the government should have been doing all along, one that both political parties have failed to do. Regardless of where people stand on the issue, at least someone is willing to address a problem that has been ignored for far too long. I am all for finding solutions to the damage caused by the Adventure Tourism industry.

Humble suggestion: The government should tell us what they are doing, why not, share your plans, communicate with the public, so that the e-bike debacle, can be avoided. We do not want to lose in court, boulders removed, back to square one. Make all regulations and your plans public, please.

Dedicated to Norbert Giel

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/dedicated-to-norbert-giel/

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve means the end of the free for all?

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/unesco-biosphere-reserve-means-the-end-of-the-free-for-all/

READER’S OPINION: The World’s Growing Imbalance

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/readers-opinion-the-worlds-growing-imbalance-why-character-matters-more-than-ever/

Zoey, Luna Foundation sanctuary, spay & neuter

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/zoey-luna-foundation-sanctuary-spay-neuter/

Stan my Man

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/stan-my-man/

Last Sunday, Long Table Aruba Delivered

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/last-sunday-long-table-aruba-delivered/