EDITORIAL: In moments of crisis calmness is needed

The following is an editorial from Diario by Jossy Mansur on July 16, 2005. Everyone must remember this is an opinion editorial and although it references that no part of the investigation should be political, the mere reference almost does. A pretty interesting bit of advice in the editorial:

If a person does not have the necessary qualifications or preparations to make them, and does not know the involved details either, better honor silence as to not cause damage to the truth.

(translated by Aruba Girl)

Den momento di crisis mester mantene calma/In moments of crisis calmness is needed

Kizas hopi hende nota compronde a fondo loke ta pasando cu e caso di e mucha muher Americano cu ta perdi for di mas di un siman pasa. Algun hende malohenta ta lanza opinionnan como expertonan forma di anochi pa mainta, y ta persegui cu fanatismo cualke rumor cu cria pia, lubidando cu e mesun pianan ey ta forza e rumornan bay dal masha lihe mes contra e muraya di realidad pa desintegra den pida pida.

Perhaps many people don’t understand the depths of what is happening in the case of the American girl who has been missing for more than a month. Some people [no idea what 'malohenta' means] state opinions like experts formed overnight, and persist with fanaticism whatever rumor that has legs, forgetting that those same legs force the rumors to hit rapidly against the wall of reality to disintegrate into many pieces.

Aruba ta confronta actualmente cu un escenario cu nunca el a imagina, pasobra ningun di nos por a biba kere cu algo asina lamentable por sosode na Aruba, ni cu nos isla lo ser catapulta via canalnan di television den un esfera internacional gigantesco, potencialmente daà ±ino pa Aruba como un destino turistico sigur. Tur esaki a crea un crisis estilo warwaru, cu a crece den espiralnan di enfoke hopi negativo pa un isla cu no merece.

Aruba is now confronting a scenario that it has never imagined, because none of us could live to think that something lamentable like this could happen on Aruba, nor that our island would be catapulted via television channels in a gigantic international sphere, potentially damaging to Aruba as a safe tourist destination. All of this creates a tornado style crisis, that grew in spirals for very negative focus for an island that does not deserve it.

Nos cu a nace na Aruba, a lanta aki y conoce nos Pueblo, sa cu e berdadero dolor cu e ta sintiendo ta pasobra un pareha ta sufriendo tremendamente cu e desaparicion di nan yiu muher, y ta sinti nan mes impotente pa haci algo cu por trece back pa nan. No tin palabranan suficiente pa describi e angustia cu nan ta sintiendo, y cu tin e comprension y compasion di nos tur.

We who are born on Aruba, who were raised her and know our People, know that the true pain that it [People] is feeling is because a couple is suffering tremendously with the disappearance of their daughter, and feel themselves impotent to do anything that could bring her back to them. There are not enough words to describe the anguish that they are feeling, and have the understanding and compassion of us all.

Nos ta den un momento di crisis nacional, di esey no tin duda, pasobra tur discusion, tur atencion ta dirigi riba e recuperacion di e hoben perdi. Opinionnan personal, speculacionnan y rumornan no ta yuda na nada. Ta e autoridadnan encarga cu e caso mester determina, segun nan experiencia, kico a pasa cu e hoben y con ta bay rescate si ainda e ta cu bida. Esaki ta e peor momento den nos historia pa bin cu medidanan descabeya, o cruzamento di e frontera cu ta separa e poder Ehecutivo di e poder Hudicial. Ningun Ministro, ni sikiera un Prome Ministro por tuma un determinacion den e caso, especialmente esun di kita o pone algun persona di Cuerpo Policial o Ministerio Publico pa loke ta trata e investigacionnan cu ta tumando lugar.

We are in a moment of national crisis, there is no doubt about that, because all discussion, all attention is directed about the recovery of the missing youngster. Personal opinions, speculations and rumors don’t help at all. It is the authorities who are given the case must determine, according to their experience, what happened to the youngster and how she is going to be rescued if she is still alive. This is the worst moment in our history to come with reckless measures, or crossing of the border that separates the Executive power from the Judicial power. No Minister, not even a Prime Minister can make a decision in the case, especially the one to take away or to add some people in the Police Corps or Judicial Department referring to the investigation that is on-going.

E fayido intencion di kita Sra. Karin Janssen di e caso, mescos cu esun di pone Jan v/d Straaten un banda, ta disparatenan imprudente di cualke mandatario. E orden pa haci esey no por bin di e poder Ehecutivo, e mester bin di autoridadnan mas halto di Ministerio Publico, o Cuerpo Policial. Ta con medidanan o decisionnan imprudente ta pinta nos isla dilanti di e wowonan di un prensa internacional hopi observador y agresivo? Ta ki concepto nan lo a forma di e manera vengativo di actua di nos mandatarionan den momentonan di crisis?

The failed attempt to take Mrs. Karin Janssen off the case, just like the one to put Jan v/d Straaten to a side, are impudent actions of any elected official. The order to do that can not come from the Executive power, it must come from the more higher authorities of the Justice Department or Police Corps. How do these impudent decisions or measures paint or island in front of the eyes of an international press that is very observing and aggressive What concept will the form of the avenging way of acting from our elected officials in moments of crisis?

Nos por ta den un campaà ±a electoral, pero ban exclui e caso aki completamente pasobra e no tin nada di haber cu eleccion, y ban pone un banda tambe e sed di venganza personal cu cualke mandatario por tin contra cualke miembro di Cuerpo Policial o Ministerio Publico, y laga e autoridadnan envolvi ocupa nan mes cu e caso sin interferencianan politico. Esaki no ta e momento pa vendetanan personal.

We may be in an election campaign, but let’s exclude this case completely because it has nothing to do with the election, and let’s but aside also the thirst of personal vengeance that any elected official could have against any member of the Police Force or Justice Department, and let the involved authorities occupy themselves with the case without political interference. This is not the moment for personal vendettas.

Mi opinion tocante Jan v/d Straaten no por ta mihor, pasobra ta trata di un autoridad policial cu a sa di gana e confianza y respet di e mayoria di nos Pueblo. Ni maske el a nace na Hulanda, ta na e bienestar di nos isla el a dedica mayor parti di su bida profesional, y ta su actuacionnan imparcial a gana pe e simpatia y respaldo di cual e ta goza. Di cu e por ta amigo of no di cualke persona no ta bay influencie den e ehercido di su trabao como Polis. Mi por bisa esey cu tur seguridad!

My opinion about Jan van der Straaten couldn’t be better, because it [opinion] deals with a police authority that has known to win the trust and respect of the majority of our People Although he was born in The Netherlands, it is to the well-being of our island that he has dedicated the majority of his professional life, and his imparcial actions won the sympathy and support which are his. That he can be a friend or not of any person is not going to influence him in the exercise of his work as a cop. I can say that with total confidence!

Mi opinion ta igualmente valido pa Sra. Karin Janssen, kende mi ta considera un Fiscal Mayor consciente di su debernan, y cu ta mas cu dispuesto di cumpli cu nan sin indina na faboritismonan personal. Mi ta haya cu e tipo di acusadonnan o pensamentonan dirigi contra dje, djis pasobra el a nace na Hulanda y un di e detenidonan tambe a nace na Hulanda, ta un apreciacion ekiboca di su caracter, y un pensamento totalmente mezkino y sin balor. Ta sumamente dificil convence un persona manera mi cu v/d Straaten o Janssen por laga nan mes ser influencia pa e lugar di nacimento di un sospechoso o detenido. E ta parcemi hasta ridiculo! Loke si mi ta kere ta cu e tipo di evaluacion aki, basa riba lugar di nacimento, ta creando un impresion di racismo hopi grandi contra e partido na mando, y cu por tin un efecto negativo pe na September.

My opinion is equally valid of Mrs. Karin Janssen, who I consider to be a Head Prosecutor who is conscious of her duties, and is more than willing to follow them without giving in to personal favoritism. I think that the kind of accusations or thoughts directed against her, just because she was born in the Netherlands and one of the detainees was also born in the Netherlands, are a wrong appreciation of her character and is a way narrow-minded way of thinking and without any worth. It is extraordinarily difficult to convince a person like me that v/d Straaten or Janssen could let themselves be influenced by the place of birth of a suspect or detainee. It even seems ridiculous to me! What I do think is that the type of this evaluation, based on the place of birth, creates a very big impression of racism against the party in power, and could have a negative effect for it in September.

Di mes e enfoke di algun mandatario riba e lugar di nacimento di e residentenan di Aruba ta tumando un rumbo robez, pasobra e ta denota un sentimento racista y discriminatorio di parti di esnan cu a hura lealtad na nos Constitucion, unda ta bon specifica cu na Aruba no tin lugar pa discriminacion di raza, religion o inclinadonnan politico. Ta pesey tambe cu e website di Matthew ta hayando asina hopi atencion na Merca, unda hasta e Black Caucus na Washington a cuminza mira nos isla cu cierto sospechanan cu racismo y discriminacion di berdad ta existi.

Of course the focus of a few elected officials on the place of birth of the Aruban residents are taking a wrong course, because it denotes a racist and discriminatory feeling on the part of those who swore loyalty to our Constitution, where it is well specified that in Aruba there is no place for discrimination based on race, religion or political inclinations. That is why the website of Matthew is getting so much attention in the United States, where even the Black Caucus in Washington began to look at our island with certain suspicions of racism and discriminations that indeed exists.

Na conclusion di e caso di Natalee, cu laat o tempran lo haya aclaratoria, mi tin e aspiracion y creencia cu nos ta bay reemplaza e manchanan cu informacionnan sin base a crea pa nos isla cu datonan concreto y creible. Nos mester bay reconstrui e imagen husto y sereno di Aruba, cu informacionnan negativo a dera bou un monton di erornan di apreciacion cu nos no ta comparti. E tarea aki ta bay ta (o mester bira) un obra exclusivo di e mayoria di Arubianonan, pasobra ta nos tin e deber cu e lealtad pa nos isla ta exigi.

At the conclusion of the case of Natalee, which sooner or later will be cleared up, I have the hope and belief that we are going to replace the stains that informations without base created for our island with concrete and credible data. We are going to have to reconstruct the just and serene image of Aruba, with negative information buried underneath a mountain of errors of appreciation that we do not share. This job is (or should be) an exclusive task of the majority of Arubans, because it is our duty that the loyalty to our island demands.

Mientras tanto, prudencia ta impone riba nos hendenan pa duna menos declaracion posible. Si un persona no tin e cualificacionnan o preparacionnan necesario pa hacie, y no conoce e detayenan envolvi tampoco, miho honra silencio pa no causa daà ±o na e berdad. Pensa riba Aruba y pone e idea di un prestigioso supremacia personal riba cualke pantaya di television un banda.

In the meanwhile, prudence makes that our people should give the least declarations possible. If a person does not have the necessary qualifications or preparations to make them, and does not know the involved details either, better honor silence as to not cause damage to the truth. Think about Aruba and put the idea of a prestigious personal supremacy on whatever television screen aside.