THE HAGUE - State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen of Kingdom Relations wants to continue discussions with Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten about same-sex marriage. This is her answer to questions from Member of Parliament Roelof Bisschop of the Dutch SGP.
The reformed party politician argues that the islands have the right to oppose the same-sex marriage law. Earlier, the court ruled that it should be possible for people of the same sex in Curaçao to marry each other. The government appealed this, because for them this was against the culture that Curaçao radiates.
Bisschop expresses concern about the possibility of same-sex marriage being allowed. “Can you imagine that the pressure from the Netherlands to adopt Dutch legislation in Caribbean countries can be experienced by many as ideological colonialism?” said the politician.
In response, Van Huffelen says that the autonomy of the islands has nothing to do with the debate surrounding same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, she says she will continue to engage in dialogue with the islands on this subject.