The first commotion has started around the new Government. Not that somebody hasn’t paid his or her taxes or done something criminal. No, it’s about having a double nationality or having two passports.
Two of the new members of the Government have a Dutch passport but also have a Moroccan and Turkish passport. The question is: can somebody in Government or Parliament have a non-Dutch nationality or can he or she have two nationalities?
I have no problem with people having two nationalities. In my work nationality is not an issue and in my day to day business nationality is also not an issue. But I am not into politics and politics is per definition local, regional and country bound. It is not like Tony Blair is going to expand the business of the Labour Party to Dutch market or apply for the position of head of the Dutch Socialistic Party and go into Dutch politics. That is not the nature of the business.
That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t vote for somebody with a double nationality. As long as I knew where that person’s first priority lies and that the second nationality couldn’t compromise him or her. And that is where I think the problem lies. Not all countries are letting their ex citizens go that easily.
Somebody of Moroccan decent can’t help having that nationality because according the Moroccan government you are automatically a Moroccan if one of you parents is Moroccan and even if you were born somewhere outside Morocco. Even if you wanted hand in your Moroccan citizenship and passport, you cannot do that. Once a Moroccan – always a Moroccan.
That is bullshit of course.
I don’t know how easy it is to denounce your Turkish citizenship but it is a well known fact that the Turkish government is keeping a close eye on all its people in foreign countries. There where Turkey is in a bad press, Turks in those countries are influenced and pressure is applied to correct that. Think about the killing of the Armenian’s by the Turks in the First World War and whether that was a genocide Yes or No. A lot of Dutch politicians of Turkish origin came under big pressure from Turkey when they followed the official line of their parties and stated that they thought it was genocide. As a result of the pressure some of those politicians changed their statement or weakened it. Just think what could happen if that politician were Foreign Affairs Minister.
There are of course Americans with a double nationality. They can denounce their US citizenship with the added bonus that they don’t have to pay US taxes anymore. But at least they don’t get bullied about their choice. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger you can become US citizen and become Governor, however you have to be US citizen and you cannot become President.
I think I would prefer our members of Parliament and Government to have a single nationality and single citizenship.
