PORT VILA, 03 JULY 2019 (VANUATU DAILY POST) – The President of the Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs, Chief Willie Grey Plasua, has come out to state the views of the Chiefs on the issue of the sale of Vanuatu passports under the Citizenship Programme.
“The concern of the people of Vanuatu on the issue of the sale of the Vanuatu Green Passport is also the concern of the chiefs,” he said.
“If the people are concern about the national identity being exploited and put on public sale to foreigners, then it is also our concern. Why? because the Vanuatu Green Passport is the national identity of the people of Vanuatu.
“The government has the responsibility to find ways or means of making revenue to provide services to the country and so that is understandable, but it does not mean that selling the national identity hence the national green passport is the immediate economic solution. Explore other means.”
Chief Plasua, suggest that the national government should reconsider the sale of the Vanuatu Green Passport and take into account the concerns of the people of Vanuatu about their national identity being sold openly to any foreigners and in an open global market.
“I am sure everyone has a view on the issue and the government has the economic reasons for the sale of the Vanuatu National Green Passport,” he said.
“Take the extreme that one day you will find 10,000 to 20,000 green passports have been sold and the holders come to have the right to stand for the national parliament, is this right?
“The founding fathers of the independence of the Republic of Vanuatu did not struggle for self-determination only for the identity of a ni-Vanuatu to be placed on sale to foreigners for national revenue purposes.
“The national government must reconsider this economic policy,” he said.
