So the straw that broke the camel’s back, the final limit of capacity came the day before yesterday in the form of an argument about Aruba’s Carnival. The MinTour, has had it up to here with these yoyos, and yesterday, he visited the Governor to explain his point of view and declared that if by March 1st, things don’t change in the way his colleagues go about this country’s business, he will resign his post as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Transportation and Primary Sector, whatever that is. He cited his dissatisfaction with the Seroe Colorado issue and the refinery Vs hotels argument at his press conference, and expressed his concerns about tourism, law enforcement and Carnival, as reasons for the blowup. “In matters of style swim with the currents; in matters of principles, stand like a rock, he quoted.” FYI, once resigned the MinTour will go home to his family members and friends because according to the way the pop flops here, he can no longer participate in government as parliamentarian.
I polled my friends about their thoughts:
Friend #1 said: The ship is sinking. The government is facing insurmountable financial difficulties, and he is the first one to bail, he just wants out. Everybody wants out, but he is first.
Friend #2 said: It’s just an opportunity to prepare for his breakaway as an independent party. He found the funding, he has a backer, and he will be running next year on his own platform. The lone wolf will be weaker, but not for long, he will be picking up more votes as he goes along. This island need a strong opposition leader.
Friend #3 said: Good, it’s about time. Tourism did not need him interfering, we can do the job on our own. AHATA and the hotels can run the show. May his successor, the next MinTour, be a do-nothing, and we have many of those, a do-nothing who only looks forward to Happy Hour on Friday, and we have plenty of those.
Friend #4 said: He’s had it with MinPres who is in Lalaland with Richard Branson, it’s a ship without a captain; he is a celebrity, get him out of there.
Friend #5: Look, honey, he is a hard working man, he moves, he couldn’t stand the wishy-washy treatment of license plates, the crisis in education where all ministers’ children avoid our public schools like a plague and are enrolled in private ones; the deplorable treatment of elderly, the 150 advisors in the MinPres stable, and the 7,000 government employees, double the number of Curacao. The fact that Dutch people don’t get any permits, while Haitians promising to vote green are ushered right in, and the reality that business is tanking, inflation rising. Remember the sad fragmented state of the opposition? He is looking at starting his own party, perhaps in collaboration with another strong vote-getter, the President of the Parliament of Aruba.
Friend #6: This guy is admirable. His voters love him and follow him come hell or high water, they are totally dedicated to him, he is not going away, you’re looking at the future Prime Minister of Aruba, and you’d better play nice with him.
Friend #7: MinInfra interferes in government, he tinkers with all decisions, he doesn’t stay on his turf, he redefined Nepotism, why would the MinInfra stick his finger in the Carnival pie, and it just pissed MinTour off.
So you see there are many opinions, but they all agree, the politically savvy MinTour, will remain a major player in the public sector, it’s in his DNA.
