Aruba is dragging its feet with same-sex marriage legislation
ORANJESTAD — The Aruban Parliament is dragging its feet with the handling of an initiative law that aims to make marriage between partners of the same sex possible. Coalition-partner RAIZ and opposition party Accion 21 are fed up with the attempts of the MEP to prevent the introduction of same-sex marriages.
RAIZ has two seats in the 21-seat Aruban parliament; Accion 21 has one seat. The ruling MEP party has 9 seats, the AVP 7 and MAS 2. RAIZ is part of a coalition government with the MEP.
A letter signed by RAIZ faction leader Raymicheline Raymond, RAIZ-MP Raymond Kamperveen and Accion 21 faction leader Miguel Mansur urges parliament president Vrolijk to call a public meeting to discuss the initiative law.
According to the letter Vrolijk initially postponed such a meeting because he wanted to await the outcome of a committee meeting proposed by MP Darlaine Guedez-Erasmus. Another reason given for the postponement is that Vrolijk wants to await the outcome of a decision by the Supreme Court. The government appealed a decision by the Common Court of Justice that ruled that excluding partners of the same sex from marriage violated the equality-principle.
The government is of the opinion that with this decision the court has taken over the role of the legislator. Furthermore the government has indicated that is awaiting the outcome of a parliamentary debate about the initiative law.
The letter states that the people are not properly served by a government that reproaches the court for taking on the role of legislator and at the same time has the parliament wait for a court decision before it can execute its legislative task.
Raymond, Kamperveen and Mansur ask Vrolijk to call a public meeting within thirty days.
Dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl reported that Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes’ party MEP and the AVP both oppose same-sex marriage, because they fear that they will lose the support of at least some of their voters.
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