The current leader of POR, our venerated Minister of Justice, the former #2 on the list with 1,096 votes in the 2017 election, Andin Bikker, 52, handed his baton over to the next in line, the former #5 on the list, with 461 votes in the 2017 election, parliamentarian Alan Howell.
According to reports, the decision was made in a recent Zoom meeting, where party members voted Howell in as the new leader maximo.
We totally understand Bikker’s wish to delegate authority.
Who wants to listen to members’ bickering and squabbling, let someone else do it.
But by abandoning his post, he is leaving the party to a man with limited capabilities. Howell cannot run the party, let alone the country, though he has been running a successful security business for many years soliciting and winning lucrative government contracts, thanks to his ‘connections.’
Does this round of musical chairs mean POR is history?
POR received 5,531 votes in 2017. The win entitled the freshly formed party two ministries, plus the Washington bureau.
As a footnote, as soon as it was formed, the party lost at least two of its founding board members, who realized Pueblo Orguyoso y Respeta, the respected proud people, were toxic.
When the original founder, Otmar Oduber, retired with his 1,808 votes to run a container yard, making him enough money, hopefully, to pay for his defense lawyers, when Flamingo investigators conclude their in-depth probe, Bikker became the front man with Oduber still pulling the strings in the back.
Eventually, Marisol Lopez Tromp went home with her 497 votes, when she was alas booted out of the party then out of parliament. She now keeps silent, and we have no clue if she intends to run again, or not.
On an individual level, Oduber, Bikker & Tromp, lost a great number of votes with the creation of POR.
Voters simply didn’t get it.
Howell gained a few, and has been postulating himself as the champion of San Nicolas!
So, what will Bikker do in Sept 2021?
Go back to the mothership, to star on the MEP list of candidates?
Strong rumors suggest just that.
Will MinPres offer him a government seat?
The most lucrative ministry, Infrastructure, Spatial Development and the Environment, will probably go to the heir of the other Oduber dynasty.
So what’s left?
Will he accept, or perhaps he would rather retire and start a cozy, new law practice?
His former law practice partner, Lincoln Gomez, moved on, and Bikker will be on his own this time, no going back.
Perhaps vulnerable, and without significant party support, MinPres will happily press the delete button and get rid of the man, altogether, by not offering him anything.
What will the fate of the other POR members be?
Washington envoy Joselin Croes & parliamentarian Dellanire Maduro.
What will the ladies do?
Join the mothership?
So many questions.
Meanwhile in the Netherlands many thousands of Dutch citizens were pushed into debt because they were unjustly accused of fraud by the Dutch tax dept. The Dutch government recently resigned over the affair, regretful it caused so much pain to little people.
Here in Aruba, we are all pushed into debt by the inept and overly expensive GOA overhead. Think about the parallels, GOA is not regretful about anything, and continues to burden the public on a much larger scale.