ARUBA AND DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Despite the impending creation of a “media law” and other ongoing issues that must be monitored closely, Aruba remains a country in which the media and the people enjoy freedom of the press and expression. In April 2007, Diario newspaper published articles alleging pre-election bribery offer by the Namdar Group of New York in a letter to an opposition member of from a former MEP campaign leader. MEP leader and Prime Minister of Aruba, Nelson O. Oduber –who had signed the Declaration of Chapultepec on May 24, 2004—called for “a complete boycott against one and all who have anything to do with Diario” in a full page advertisment April 2 in the newspaper Solo di Pueblo. A complaint was sent to IAPA’s Freedom of the Press and Information Committee and its chairman, Gonzalo Marroquín, called Oduber’s action an open violation of Article 5 of the Declaration of Chapultepec. His April 17 letter was distributed to Aruban media. Oduber responded saying the Diario and its director, Jossy Mansur, has never in 21 years published positive matters regarding the MEP party, never offered te party the opportunity to reply, and accused them of trying to foment chaos among the nation’s citizens. He said he considers the call for boycott within the party’s right to freedom of expression. He further noted that the called for the boycott in his capacity as leader of the party and not as leader of the government. As a reaction, Jossy Mansur presented the Freedom of the Press committee with information refuting Oduber’s statement, including clippings from December 2001 when both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public and Social Affairs received the newspaper’s Man and Woman of the Year recognitions during a reception at Mansur’s house and articles of September 2005 concerning various announcements and statements by the Prime Minister. Oduber took Diario to court on a statement made by the paper on May 15, regarding the same series of articles. The Judge heard the case on June 11 and dismissed Oduber’s request for corrections. On September 3, 2007, IAPA President Rafael Molina was received by the Parliament of Aruba. During the session, President of Parliament Mervin Wyatt-Ras and the 21 members of Parliament, from four political parties, signed their support to the Declaration of Chapultepec.