This time it’s not members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament but a municipality wanting to turn islanders into second-class citizens in the Netherlands. The Friesian capital Leeuwarden announced it was trying to prevent Dutch Caribbean youth from moving there (see Saturday paper).
It seems especially youngsters with Curaçao roots have been causing some trouble in the northern city and are relatively often involved in criminal activities. The intention is also to create incentives for their return to the islands, for which 10,000 euros per year is to be reserved.
The latter is always possible, but the idea of arranging with cities that have high concentrations of “Antilleans” to keep them away is nothing short of discriminatory. After all, that would be comparable to, for example, St. Maarten making separate admittance rules for Friesians than for other persons from the European part of the kingdom.
Consultative Body for Dutch Caribbean persons in the Netherlands OCAN is not amused. Its chairman John Leerdam fittingly called the plan “bizarre” and proposed to have a meeting with the Leeuwarden mayor and alderman responsible.
This latest attempt to shun full-ledged Dutch nationals depending on where in the kingdom they come from is doomed for failure, as were similar efforts in the past by several politicians and administrators in The Hague, including Andre Bosman and Rita Verdonk. There is no legal basis to distinguish in that manner between Dutch passport-holders, regardless of their origin.
It’s as simple as that.
