In-fighting in Aruba; Editorial Come back from Diario: Natalee and Another Mistake of Nel Oduber!

Here is a translated editorial from Jossy M. Mansur of Diario, Natalee and Another Mistake of Nel Oduber! (Thank you Aruba Girl)

Looks like all countries are the same when it comes to politics and current event news stories. After reading this one begins to understand that there is a political election later this year in Aruba. Looks like the gloves are off. This is in response to a post we did earlier today on the “anti incorrect news” committee. in the daily update.

Natalee and Another Mistake of Nel Oduber! By Jossy M. Mansur

It is very easy, as Prime Minister, to hold a press conference to introduce a Commission that is going “to change all that is said bad about Aruba” for the U.S. media that is on our island to investigate the truth about the disappearance of an American citizen. This is another demonstration of how far Nel is from the reality about what is happening in the case of Natalee.

Why now, those of us who dare to face the cameras of the American television to give objective opinions about what is happening with the case, all of a sudden become “brave Arubans” [in the same sarcastic tones that Nel uses to reveal is frustration]? Nel wants my personal opinion on this “Commission”? The persons that form it, are in my book, correct [meaning good character ---arubagirl] people, of admirable conduct in our community, but neither individually nor together is it possible to correct anything that is being said wrong about Aruba. The Americans themselves, living in the U.S., unconditional friends of our island, is the best defense that Aruba received against the misconceptions that are expressed against Aruba. It isn’t the U.S. media that are now on the island that are doing such a thing, it is the work of a few commentators in the U.S.! At least learn to recognize the difference and act accordingly!

The media that are in Aruba, thanks to the interventions of Aruban lawyers who explained our Laws, with all their defects, thanks to us who dare to show our face to win the trust (it is nothing easy to answer questions when you are going to be watched by more or less 20 million people!), that a worse situation was avoided!. It is the honesty demonstrated by all of us who participated as observers in this mysterious case avoided things to be worse for our island.

And the logical questions that follows is:Why doesn’t Nel like us to appear in our place to clear up issues that come up? Gladly will I cede my interventions to him, because the acquired obligations break my work routine and keep me too busy. It is Nel and our Minister of Justice that should be on the TV screens each and every day, to clear up strange things that are happening and talk the truth to [U.S. Media]! Everything that I heard until now are unfounded attacks against the girl herself (the victim) and nothing against the boy that is the principal suspect, and his father.

Nel remembers the case of the Dutch marine who hit an Arubian woman in her face because of a car accident, and how her small child came out to defend his/her mother and also got a broken mouth from that Dutch marine? What does Nel think happened to him after they put him on a plane and sent him to Holland? Did he get punished? Did Nel demand an explanation about this from the Dutch Minister of Defense? Were those two people Arubans or not? And does Nel remember about the other European Dutch person who were allowed to go to Venezuela easily while he was a suspect [the term is 'procesado', not quite sure what it means --arubagirl] for our Laws and couldn’t leave the island? These are a few examples for me to get to the cardinal question: Suppose that Joran was an Aruban, how fast does Nel think that this case would have been resolved and how much immediate punishment would he get?

This is precisely my biggest fear, that because Joran is a Dutch-European boy and his father is a Dutch-European judge [NOT A JUDGE --arubagirl], this case can end up in a trash can somewhere [not a literal translation, but that's what he means ---arubagirl]! It is this impression that we have to make sure that it does not come to life, because otherwise we will be literally ‘dropped in the sea’. And than they will definitely come down on us like vultures! And completely being in the right!

I have no idea if Joran and his friends committed any crime, if that is the case, I don’t know how involved Paul is, because no one of us has access to the truth, since the three machines that are programmed for lying still haven’t told the truth until now! And the day that they will tell it, who will believe them?

Nel, believe me, we are both Arubans and we love this island and will do anything in our power to protect it from injustice. But, that job should start at home! It is unfortunate that this case had to have happened for many people to have opened their eyes to the second face of Aruba, the one that starts at 10pm. And who are the ones who made us more conscious about that night life? The American press that is not on Aruba, a very aggressive press, that digs in all corners to find the truth, and that points to a wound that many of us didn’t know in all of its reach.

That big question now is: after the Natalee case is over, which correction will the Government introduce to neutralize or to reduce to a minimum what is biting at the bases of acceptable behavior in our community? That’s what Nel has to instruct the Commission to work on, and let the defense of our island in the hands of the Americans that know our People and our island, and are willing to give their opinions openly, which has already happened and will continue to happen. It is only our job to give the American Public the truth, individually or via the ATA [Aruba Tourism Association] and AHATA [Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association] channels, not with weak excuses invented just to defend our tourism industry! It is the life of a young girl that has us occupied now, to find out what happened to her, not about the consequences on our economy because it [the case] is not going to have a neither immediate or serious effect on it [the economy].