Aruba Prime Minister Mike Eman is currently on a hunger strike, protesting alleged interference from the Dutch government in Aruba’s affairs.
Tuesday was the fourth day of Eman’s hunger strike, following a decision by the Dutch government to have Aruba Governor Fredis Rufen-jol carry out an independent investigation of Aruba’s budget and the tenability of the island’s finances.
The Dutch government has maintained that it is concerned about the “sustainability of public finances in Aruba,” including a national debt it says has “doubled in a few years.”
“The budget is a country affair, but the Governor can hold a national ordinance if it goes against Kingdom interests,” Dutch Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk told Parliament yesterday.
Plasterk alleged that Eman had made arrangements with the Dutch government about conducting the independent investigation on July 3rd, but last week expressed that his government did not desire to fulfill the arrangements.
Alleged interference from the Dutch government has long been a sensitive issue for the countries of the Dutch Caribbean.
