The Bent Page

Parliamentary elections are coming soon to the island of Aruba. The date is 25 September and it looks like it will be a slugfest. I consider myself a visitor to the island and therefore do not comment on the issues. However, the electioneering here is quite dramatic. In the first place, each of the political parties sets up an HQ in various neighborhoods. Out come the paint brushes and the entire building is painted with the party colors. As you can see below, the MEP party sports red and yellow.

Then there is the AVP party which is green and white as seen here.

The Democracia Real likes red and white.

They’re also big into symbolism as is evidence by the scales of justice there. The MPA party colors are featured next.

Flags are very popular. They fly from probably 20-30% of the homes and businesses on the island, proclaiming allegiance to one group or another. It’s sort of like a medieval battlefield, with each band of knights or clan marking their turf before the fighting begins. Some attach multiple flags to their vehicles and galavant about the island with them snapping in the breeze. Here are some flags you’ll see.

Plenty there in that photo to get the message across. There’s only two in the next one, but they threw in a billboard for effect.

There are also rolling billboards which decorate cars, trucks, buses, and vans, such as this one for AVP.

Well, plenty of money has been spent on all this. I hope it works for the betterment of the island. I live here much of the year and only want the best for the people. The problem is not making a choice; it is living with it afterward. All the best, Aruba!