The National Platform for the Heritage of Slavery in Aruba (PNHSA), in its capacity as a foundation, has delivered a formal letter to the Parliament of Aruba to advocate for elevating the importance and impact of Afro-Arubans in our community. In this communication, the foundation raised its concerns regarding efforts by the Dutch State to accelerate its policy to reintroduce mandatory military service, known as “Dienstplicht.”
Concern over the militarization of the Kingdom According to Sirelda Jackson, president of the PNHSA, the foundation has noted the efforts that the Netherlands is making on European soil to reintroduce mandatory militarization. This measure, which obliges citizens in the Netherlands to spend time in the Dutch “Army,” raises concerns for the Caribbean islands. Jackson emphasized that, because the islands are part of the Dutch Kingdom, these decisions have direct consequences for our youth, both men and women.
Rejection of unilateral decisions The PNHSA maintains a firm stance against the way the Dutch State makes these unilateral decisions without consulting the people of Aruba as citizens. According to the foundation, the public has not had the opportunity to have a say in the decisions and efforts that the Netherlands is taking in this geopolitical arena.
Aruba as a zone of peace The foundation considers militarization efforts a danger to the islands, noting that they live in the Caribbean as a “zone of peace.” The PNHSA emphasizes that the main effort should be to maintain the islands in their current state of peace, rather than promoting the militarization being prepared in the distant country, the Netherlands.
Jackson concluded by stating that the foundation will continue to monitor news from the Netherlands closely, where they have observed that there is a policy in motion leading to the promotion of mandatory militarization.