On October 15th 2013 the Governor of Aruba , His Excellency Mr. F. J. Refunjol and the Director of his cabinet mr. M.G.J. Boelen, paid a visit to the Ombudsman to discuss the experiences in establishing the institution Ombudsman on Sint Maarten.
Aruba is the only country within the Dutch kingdom that does not have an Ombudsman, and is considering to also establish an Ombudsman Institution. The Governor wanted to hear first-hand from the Ombudsman the challenges and her approach in shaping this High Council of State.
The Ombudsman outlined the law pertaining to procedures to guarantee the independence of the Ombudsman, the Strategic Plan 2011-2021 of the Bureau, the yearly action plans, the Handbook, the training of the staff, the networking with the Nationale Ombudsman in the Hague, the Ombudsman of Amsterdam and Curaçao, and the various exchange visits that helped in molding the Bureau Ombudsman. The complaints procedure, the standards of proper conduct as well as the financial structure of the Bureau were briefly discussed.
Actual execution of the unique task of the Ombudsman as Guardian of the Constitution provided interesting food for thought.
Promoting the importance of the awareness regarding the tasks of the Institution and the importance of good governance not only at the level of the government apparatus, but also among the public by means of Exchange Sessions and Workshops with the Ministries, and District Information Sessions was emphasized.
The Governor was presented with the 2012 Annual Report of the Ombudsman, the Strategic Plan as well as the relevant ordinances governing the Institution.