Aruban Justice Minister, “he is ashamed of having a Dutch passport”

Duel passports being the next step toward independence, so says Justice Minister Rudy Croes. If it were only that simple. It takes a lot more than a symbolic gesture to be independent. If one wished to be independent wouldn’t they first have to stop relying on others when tasks become to difficult? Wouldn’t that mean that one would be self-sufficient? Independence comes at a greater price than stating one has an Aruban passport.

Amigoe: June 7, 2007; Croes: ‘Aruban passport next to the Dutch one’    

ORANJESTAD – Justice-minister and second vie-Prime Minister Rudy Croes (MEP) is of the opinion that Aruban citizens must have dual passports: an Aruban and a Dutch one.   He calls this the next step in the phase for an independent Aruba .    

He uses as example of the inhabitants of Canada and Australia that have the right on a British passport.   As independent states, both countries are part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, the former British Commonwealth , with the British Queen as symbolic leader.   Both countries are therefore examples for Aruba , said Croes.   “We can also be an independent sovereignty with two passports and one queen.”   He concluded that a double nationality must not sound strange to the Netherlands; they have two state secretaries, of which one has a Turkish nationality (Justice, Nebahat Albayrak) and the other has a Moroccan   nationality (Social Affairs, Ahmed Aboutaleb).   Last month he said that he is ashamed of having a Dutch passport.   He said that in connection with the verdict of the Supreme Court that ruled in favour of the lesbian couple Oduber-Lamers, which means that Aruba has to acknowledge the marriage between two persons of the same sex.    

DUAL NATIONALITY

Canadian and Australian citizens do not automatically get a British passport.   In the past, the people of these countries had the British nationality, until they introduced own nationality laws.   Canada did this in 1947 and many citizens have dual nationality since then.