ORANJESTAD--Aruba's Parliament has unanimously approved a motion demanding that the Dutch government explain controversial personal notes written by then Queen Beatrix in 1983 about Aruban political leader Betico Croes, including a statement suggesting that the Netherlands should buy time until Croes was no longer a political factor in the island's struggle for separate constitutional status.
The motion, submitted by the opposition Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo (MEP) party and adopted on Wednesday, November 4, calls on the government of Prime Minister Mike Eman to formally seek clarification from The Hague about the remarks, the information available to Dutch authorities at the time and whether any government documents or contingency plans existed concerning Croes.
At the center of the controversy is a passage from Beatrix's personal notes in which she wrote:
“Waarom moet Betico zoveel schade doen – daarop ingaan? Tijd winnen! Hij zal eens wegvallen. Dat afwachten.”
Translated into English, the passage reads: “Why must Betico cause so much damage? Should we respond to that? Buy time! He will eventually fall away. Wait for that.”
The remarks emerged from historical research into the colonial past of the Dutch Royal House, commissioned by King Willem-Alexander. Historian Gert Oostindie examined Beatrix's views on the constitutional future of Aruba and the former Netherlands Antilles, including her opposition to developments surrounding Aruba's Status Aparte.
According to the research, Beatrix regarded the political developments of 1983 as “fatal” and expressed concern about Croes' campaign to secure Aruba's separate position within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The revelations have generated controversy in Aruba, where Croes is widely regarded as the architect of the country's Status Aparte, achieved on January 1, 1986, when Aruba separated from the Netherlands Antilles to become a constituent country within the Kingdom.
The wording of Beatrix's notes has raised questions about what she meant by the Dutch word “wegvallen,” which can refer to someone disappearing, falling away or ceasing to be a factor. MEP leader and former Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes has argued that the public deserves an explanation, particularly given the circumstances surrounding Croes' later death.
Croes was involved in a serious car accident in December 1985, shortly before Aruba obtained its Status Aparte, and died in November 1986. However, no evidence has emerged establishing that Beatrix's remarks referred to his death or that Dutch authorities were involved in the accident.
The parliamentary motion specifically requests clarification about the meaning of the passages, the information available to the Dutch government in 1983 and the possible existence of policy memoranda, scenarios, operational plans or other relevant records. It also seeks a careful examination of Dutch government archives and disclosure of available documents wherever legally permissible.
The motion further notes that personal writings by former Queen Juliana also reportedly contained negative references to Croes, adding another dimension to questions about the royal family's views on Aruba's constitutional aspirations.
Betico Croes
Under the unanimously adopted motion, the Eman government must inform Parliament in writing about the answers received from the Netherlands and the findings of any investigation.
Parliament has also instructed its president to forward the motion to the Dutch House of Representatives and its standing committee for Kingdom Relations, requesting that Dutch parliamentarians address the matter and seek clarification from their government.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten previously declined to interpret Beatrix's remarks during a parliamentary debate in The Hague, explaining that the full context in which the notes were written remains unclear. His response has not satisfied MEP, which maintains that the uncertainty makes further investigation necessary.
The controversy revisits a sensitive chapter in Aruba's history, when Croes led efforts to establish a separate constitutional identity for the island amid disagreements with the Netherlands over the future of the Netherlands Antilles.
For Aruba's Parliament, the immediate objective is to establish what Dutch officials knew, what Beatrix intended by her remarks and whether additional historical records can provide answers about the Kingdom's handling of Aruba's campaign for self-government.
