"It was not always that I was interested in politics, but during my professional career, I experienced different situations which sparked something in me. I am convinced that politics is an instrument for change and for the development of our people and our country. At some point, my disappointment in traditional politics reached a level where I could not stand idly by. After sitting down and listening to all the parties in Aruba, I came home one night and told my wife Tamarah: 'I am going to start my own party,' her reaction was: 'go to sleep!' Today, here I am, serving my country and trying to bring change for a unifying and innovative politics, based on mutual respect, dialogue, and without the need to degrade another person."
"In a campaign, the community will hear realistic promises and ideas but also false promises. That's why every promise must always be tested. Just ask the politician how much their idea or promise will cost and with what funds it will be paid. The one who has a concrete answer to this question will have less difference between their campaign and what they can realize in their governance.
"I cannot say what the low is - but what I can mention is that the ministry that keeps me from sleeping is the Ministry of Senior Affairs. The cases we have in our community are simply sad, and in the same breath, I can say that one of the 'highs' is achieving the national agreement for seniors that has anchored a broad commitment in the community to work for and guarantee the well-being of our elders.
"It is important for everyone to understand that the Ministry of Integrity did not come to replace the Ministry of Justice. Every violation of the law is a lack of integrity, but not every lack of integrity is a violation of the law. It's a violation of standards and what we must first achieve is to make the standards clear. Because what for me is a lack of integrity, perhaps another person sees differently. The first step is to bring clarity. Besides, I work according to the law, and where there is no law, I apply my moral compass."
"One thing that is non-negotiable for me is that Aruba is a state of law; no one is above the law. The law also counts for investors. No one can think that they can break the law in exchange for economic benefit. Work normally, work within the rule of law also you can bring economic benefit. Respecting nature does not mean that economic growth must stop. It only means that we must work in harmony with nature.
The difference in opinion has been there from the beginning, MEP and RAIZ are two different parties. Our focus is instead of focusing on the differences, focus on the common goal and where there are differences deal with them in a professional, democratic way, in dialogue, with argumentation and certainly with respect."
"Our people already understand that Aruba can be more eco-friendly and that we need to reduce our carbon footprint. What was missing was a Government that also reflects this desire. The key strategy is to show by example and results. For example, in transportation management, we are pushing to go more in the direction of electric vehicles, waste management we are promoting to reduce, reuse and recycle. The strategy for a more eco-friendly country is clearly adaptation in our values and standards. For this reason, we have also been working to introduce the Right of Nature. I am convinced that Aruba's nature deserves more and currently, the concept of law is in the process of revision at the Directorate of Legislation and Legal Affairs. I have to say that the support for the introduction is receiving positive reactions and from the Netherlands, we have also received good comments."
According to Arends, Aruba has progressed from old methods of waste management and has begun to transform the way it deals with its waste. The change has already begun and by 2024 Aruba can expect even more impressive results. "The suffering that the Parkietenbos dump has caused is something we must not forget. The 'Trash 2 Cash' (T2C) project helped to identify and evaluate solutions, and with this, we have achieved less waste at Seroe Teishi and promoted recycling and reuse of materials. The 'Limpi Limpi' campaign continued, in collaboration with more than 10 partners, to promote waste separation. The slogan "Your waste, your responsibility" summarizes the mentality that Aruba must have: waste is not only a government problem, but for all of us, and together we must work to solve the situation."
Minister Arends says that due to the significant tourist growth post Status Aparte that Aruba has experienced, it has faced challenges and failed with the management of liquid and solid waste due to this. "I'm not going to get lost in 'analysis paralysis'. The minister says his plan is to act and turn Aruba into a world example. "Sero Teishi is dealing with 'bailing' then disposal of waste. According to the hierarchy of waste, this is a step higher than 'open dumping' at the Parkietenbos dump. Likewise, it is not the final step and we consider it a temporary and transitional one. The vision is to achieve a circular economy by recycling, reusing, and reducing. It is important to understand that while the infrastructure for a circular economy, for recycling is not yet in place properly, we already have enough practical solutions to be able to close the Parkietenbos Dump, to start the process of covering it to convert it into a Solar Park. In addition, local trees will be planted, the wall will be repaired, and the mangrove trees will be replanted. For the community, education will continue, for example, there will be teaching materials that will be introduced in schools, as well as awareness campaigns. The activity of 'Baki in the Neighborhood' which focuses solely on separation will continue in 2024."
XM: On December 6, 2023, the LAR court revoked the operating permit for the incinerator at the former Parkietenbos dump site. Without this permit, the incinerator cannot be operational. This decision supports the activist and lawyer Ms. Anouk Balentina in a case she has been advocating for since 2020.
"We respect the court's decision. I will ensure that everyone also respects this ruling. We have been working for a long time to find an alternative to the incinerator. The incinerator does not fall under Serlimar's jurisdiction and was never part of Serlimar's plan either."
"Is there a date to start fixing the RWZI of Bubali? It is known that the budget that the country of Aruba has set for this will not be sufficient to repair and modernize the plant structurally, how will this be addressed in the future? "The proposed law to privatize the RWZI is set to be dealt with in Parliament at the beginning of the year. This will establish a private authority that will manage the new plant. The financing will be realized purely by introducing something like a 'sustainability fee' at the airport that will be paid by the visitor/tourist."
How is it going with Serlimar after its exit from Surceance?
"Part of the surceance is that Serlimar could not pay its accountant. Therefore, there are no annual accounts. This does not prevent us from having an 'unofficial' view of what is happening and with a little financial expertise, that is all we needed. Many people do not understand in what deplorable state this company found itself. The easiest step would have been to close the company and start anew. But we chose to make a final attempt which today I can say that the company has been rescued. It is getting better every day. The workers of Serlimar value their company and with a professional team in the Supervisory Board (RvT) and also in management, we can show with figures that Serlimar is becoming stronger every day."
Aruba's 'gray population' is a growing one and is demanding urgent attention. It's no secret that the care of our elders has become very expensive in Aruba with a long waiting list at the care homes that fall under the government. Many families cannot bear these costs. What is the action plan to make care more accessible and dignified for our elders?
All the points contained in the question itself explain why I insisted that Aruba needs a ministry specifically dedicated to dealing with the 'gray population'. Although there was resistance, we managed. Meanwhile, there is a National Forum to address all these points together with my ministry. Here in 3 months, we will review the first results.
"The achievement I am most proud of is the fact that all the issues that fall under my portfolios, which have been neglected for years, are finding the due attention and action. Among them, waste management, management for the well-being of Nature, and Senior Affairs. When I chose these portfolios, I did so based on the challenges they represent. I felt a duty to address them and today I can say that everything is going in a direction that will know effective, sustainable, and lasting improvement.
"If I look back on December 7, 2022, a picture of the situation at the Parkietenbos Dump and a picture of December 7, 2023, a year later, this for me is certainly an achievement by and for our community.
Do you still have the same enthusiasm for politics that you started with?
"I continue to believe in unifying and innovative politics as an instrument to achieve sustainable development and well-being for our community.
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