Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte does not want dual citizenship (see Tuesday paper). He rejected a request to revaluate forcing Dutchmen to give up their passports when they become citizens of other countries.
The policy also works the opposite way, in the sense that foreign residents wishing to become Dutch too must relinquish their original nationality. That is of some importance to St. Maarten, where hundreds of people are naturalised on an annual basis.
It turns out some countries actually don’t allow their subjects to give up their citizenship. Others officially agree so the people involved can get their papers, but in reality would never execute such a measure.
Rutte argues that the “real and factual” connection to the homeland ends when ties with other countries become greater. However, 22,000 persons living abroad who signed the petition of “Once a Dutch national, always a Dutch national” apparently disagree.
According to the organisation led by Eelco Keij, there are in fact more than a million Dutchmen (six per cent of the population) residing elsewhere. In his opinion the current government in The Hague has an old-fashioned viewpoint that no longer makes sense in times of globalisation and associated migration of people.
He hopes the next cabinet being formed will show more compassion and a mentality change, even though Rutte’s VVD is still the biggest party in the prospective new coalition. Nevertheless, perhaps other potential governing partners can convince VVD that its position indeed seems out of touch with the realities of today’s world.
