San Nicolas is Ready to Work!
Mr Nelson English held pretty cut and dry presentations about the feasibility of reopening the Valero Refinery in San Nicolas Aruba. This was done on two occations for the Aruban community, while the first  presentation was held for the members of Parliament. After Mr. English' presentation during  the last town hall meeting, organized by San Nicolas Business Association, last tuesday, the message for the Government by the people was clear: San Nicolas is Ready to Work. Eventhough the people  were very disappointed, that no members of the Government were present, it was clearly stated that the people of San Nicolas are ready to go back to work at 'their' refinery. Even if it means that they themselves  need to invest in its reopening. The refinery in Aruba has been closed for 3 years, but it has been closed down and reopened before. When LAGO closed it's doors in 1985, the refinery was reopened by Coastal in 1990 up until Valero took it over in 2004. We were able to do it then... Surely it can be done again, after we identify the right business model and with the right insentives. The  intrinsic deficiencies, like a lack of sufficient conversion capacity or a much needed modernisation upgrade can be  overcome. One of the biggest advantagea of Aruba's refinery is its capacity to process heavier and more complex materials. That was the core message that Mr English shared with the San Nicolas Community. 

Highest paying jobs are in oil business. 
Eventhough there are many environmental issues working against the oil business, there are also factora that work in favor of it. The oil business is known to supply the highest paying jobs around the world. Where jobs in the tourism  industry offer an average hourly rate of about $20 per hour, this can easily surpass an average of $60 for jobs in the refinery business. Being that no other business opportunities were created in this district by the Aruban Government, it is evident that jobs are much needed. The people of San Nicolas want their jobs back, so they can again take care of their families again. The Aruban Government also needs this opportunity in order to pay it's national debts! A problem whoch currently lead to Aruba losing their financial autonomy. 

UNITY in the commUNITY
Mr Nelson English stated clearly in his presentation, that it is advisable and feasable to reopen the refinery. At a cost of somewhere between 2 and 3 billion dollars, it is not even that expensive, compared to the costs to built a brand new refinery. These costs vary between of 9-20 billion dollars. There are also prospective buyers that have shown genuine interest to the Government, but they need to feel reassured that the Government is stable, able and willing to cooperate with them, meaning the investors. Hence, it takes a friendly investment climate, which can not be said to be present in the current political situation. In conclusion, we can state that the two biggest obstacles to the prosperity of the people of Aruba as a whole, are it's Government and Valero. Since Parliament voted in favor of dismantling the refinery earlier this week, the chamces are getting alimmer by the minute. Add to that the fact that Valero has no intention of giving up their rights to their money making machine, the terminal. Sad but true, but it seems that only the people of Aruba can save the people of Aruba, however, as is the case with all modern societies, where individualism prevails, consequently, there is a lack of  UNITY in the commUNITY. Which is much needed to stand up against decisions made by the Government that are not in  the people's best interest. As long as anyone is waiting for someone else to take the lead... We will keep heading on this road to nowhere. Whether the people of San Nicolas and all of Aruba can get to work again in their refinery, is clearly in the hands of the Aruban community. We need to stop THINKING we don't have any power and simply 'TAKE IT'! It's now or never. 

~MSJ

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