Dual citizenship ban too far: Duynhoven
A former Labour MP who was embroiled in a ‘‘stupid’’ dual citizenship saga in 2003 has criticised Australia’s handling of their own multinational problem.
In 2003 Harry Duynhoven, then New Plymouth MP in Helen Clark’s Labour government, applied for his Dutch citizenship to be reinstated. He had previously been a Dutch citizen, but in 1985 the Netherlands placed a ban on foreign citizens, and the law was repealed in 2003.
New Zealand law stated MPs could not apply or accept foreign citizenship while in office, but they are allowed to be dual citizens. He said he was only asking for the reinstatement of what was already his through his Dutch father, and hadn’t sworn allegiance to any foreign king or queen.
‘‘I haven’t got any privilege I didn’t already have,’’ he said. ‘‘And I was the only New Plymouth MP to be born in New Plymouth.’’
The issue caused a massive stir, and the Electoral (Vacancies) Amendment Bill was passed under urgency, retrospectively suspending the Electoral Act clauses.
Under the law as it was applied to him, no MPs could renew their foreign passports or apply for a visitor’s visa, because they were privileges from another country, he said.
‘‘We’ve got to sort it out permanently, properly in New Zealand and I think Australia have to do the same.’’
In Australia, the ban on dual citizenship for MPs is written into the constitution, and despite the drama of the past few months, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t think voters would support a referendum to change the law. Six Members of Parliament lost their jobs last month after discovering they had dual citizenship, including deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.
‘‘What they’ve done I think is faulty,’’ Duynhoven said. ‘‘What’s happening in Australia is an extreme version of what went on here.
‘‘I do feel a lot of pity for those Australian MPs because some of them would not have known. ‘‘They’ll be going through hell.’’ Duynhoven, now a New Plymouth district councillor, said both countries have a large amount of immigrants who have chosen to make their lives here, and dual citizenship should not be a problem.
‘‘If you’re a citizen you’re eligible to vote; you’re eligible to stand for Parliament. End of story.
‘‘If you’re a citizen you have the rights of citizenship. If you’re not a citizen that’s a different story.’’
They needed to change their constitution to better reflect modern Australia, he said.
‘‘There’s Australians everywhere.’’
He said his own experience, where there were calls for him to be kicked out of Parliament, were the worst six weeks of his career and his life. from
‘‘In Australia what they’re saying is if you have another citizenship or the rights to another citizenship, whether or not you’ve done anything about it, you’re gone and you’re ineligible to stand,’’ Duynhoven said.
‘‘I think when they wrote their constitution a little bit of insecurity maybe crept in.’’
He said someone could have a grandmother or grandfather who died before they were born, and yet would still affect their citizenship status.
‘‘But the Australians have a much more serious problem because they’re demanding people’s careers, and for no good reason...It’s a nonsense.’’
But he said that citizenship is still an important thing, despite the world becoming a globl village.
‘‘I think it’s still important that you have a commitment to the country obviously.’’