DIARIO Editorial: Where has Jorge Pesquera been?
Jossy Mansur - DIARIO Aruba
10/01/2005

ORANJESTAD(AAN) – First off, and with all due respect Mr. Pesquera, where were you the in the days that the American TV channels were in Aruba? Currently, you are in no position to demand equal time on American TV to counter the ‘attacks’ against Aruba. In particular now that Dr. Phils has called out for Americans to stop visiting Aruba. I don’t believe that the strategic group can do something, especially not with the spokesperson you have appointed, I am doubtful that this will help in any way.

The only way to prevent the supposed boycott was to speak before you have spoken, that is to say during the time that the American TV channels (Cable News Networks) were in Aruba. They were disposed to concede as much space as you would have wanted, but apparently, you weren’t interested.

To you and government representatives. And please spare me your opinion of Ruben Trappenberg, because he is one of the ones who made things worse due to his not answering questions, by instead fighting with interviewers, making ridiculous accusations and diverting attention away from the incompetence and indifference of his government (employer).

Now (...) that you see that it is serious that they want to start a boycott against Aruba, you enter in a panic and want to reach out to the unproductive media to try to diminish the effects of a possible boycott.

You want to counteract a forming boycott? First begin by looking at reality in the face. Start by analyzing the accusations and see if whether they have basis or not.

Do you by any chance question Joran’s release and the reasoning behind it that Joran has expressed his wishes to continue his studies as being correct? What kind of justice is this? And do you know, or are you up to date on all of what Joran has admitted to the Polis in his first declaration?

Then why do you say “baseless accusations”? The accusations have a solid basis, believe me, it’s the boycott that has no basis, because the Aruban people have given all their cooperation to find the young woman, treated the family well and with courtesy, and showed genuine interest to have the case solved.

Did the judge who came from Curaçao probably plan take the decisions he took, spoiled the case? With all due respect for the position you have taken, have you [actually] seen what happened?

The case was resolved in phases the same judge planned: first release Paul v.d. Sloot (I don’t have anything against him, and don’t accuse him of anything either); then he came back to release the Kalpoe brothers (second phase); and the third phase he executed now when came to set Joran free because Joran expressed his wish to continue his studies.

I have similarly not made any accusations of any sort against the Kalpoe brothers; what I have repeated is what can be found in the Polis reports where they started pointing the fingers one against the other!


It is in the three phases here that Americans see the corruption of our justice system, the same that Van der Straaten pointed out with courage and it is on this basis that they are proposing a boycott to see if in this way the truth can come out.

You have a way to prevent the boycott, but not by your own criteria. I, Tito, Arlene and others who went on television and showed our faces, because we formed the contacts with the American TV channels to achieve this.

In my case, although you don’t have to acknowledge it, I have gained the trust of the American people, because I spoke the truth to them. You should read the thousands of emails that I have received and continue to receive!

It is the friendship I have formed with Natalee’s family, and not only the family’s influence, but also the channels via the family, who descended on Aruba, to have the freedom and the right to call our government and our justice system a corrupt one, confirmed for us in the same way by Jan v.d. Straaten, supported by Eric Zaandam and SPA [police union]!

It is us who have the courage to confront the truth and to speak without fear, to make a difference. Neither you nor any other group or spokesperson will arrive to where you can prevent a boycott, if you do not confront it speedily, that can do great harm to our economy.


In the end, I ask myself: where were you when the American TV channels were in Aruba? Where was the government? What have you done to prevent what is coming towards us? I consider you to be an honest person, for this reason I believe that the moment has come for you to demonstraste this by admitting that you and the government failed barbarically in the moment where you could have done something.

It is now too late for your plan; now I will enter into action to see what influence I can have on Beth and, via her, on the channels that form part of the boycott. And it is I, again, who will have to beat at the doors of many friends that I have made who are producers of the most important Cable News Networks programs.

And I tell you here, not to commend myself and even less by arrogance, but to heed the call of the people, to help resolve the problem because they have faith in me that I can accomplish this.

(I do not know) whether I can or cannot achieve this in the comming weeks, because I don’t know how deep their rage against our justice system is, which they call corrupt, nor how firm they are in their decision to launch a boycott against Aruba!

[translated by Getagrip]