Central Committee debates on
new proposal for self defence
WILLEMSTAD--Central Committee of Parliament on Wednesday again debated on the changes in the penal code to introduce the law on self defence.
Parliament agreed to make a final report of the meeting so that it could go to public handling and become law.
The draft law entails changes in the penal code in the sense that a citizen who defends himself and/or his family while in his own house is not considered a suspect beforehand. This unless he doesn’t commit foul play or use violence in a disproportional way.
PNP Member of Parliament Faroe Metry told The Daily Herald that the amendment to the law doesn’t mean that citizens are free to attack anyone they find in their house or on their property. “If you see someone running away getting out of your yard, you’re not allowed to shoot him in the back. He doesn’t represent a threat to you or your family members,” Metry said.
Metry said additionally that after the draft law is approved in a public meeting of Parliament, it would not go into effect immediately thereafter. “The law will not be made public immediately after approval by Parliament. The Central Government will get some time first to start an information campaign to inform the people about their rights of self defence and how this works in practise.”
Parliament has been trying since July 2005 to get the initiative draft law on self- defence to become law. After being approved by Parliament early 2006 the initiative draft law was sent to Government for ratification.
Government subsequently sent the initiative draft law to the Advisory Council. However, the council in a March 14, 2006, advice opposed the initiative draft law because a special committee working on a new penal code for the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba was working on a similar proposal for self-defence and had objected Parliament’s initial draft proposal.
During a Central Committee meeting of Parliament in August 2006, Justice Minister David Dick said that the Central Government had received two proposals for self-defence at the same time, one from Parliament and one from the committee.
It was decided during the meeting to let Metry and the members of the committee work on a new joint proposal for self-defence. Finally, last Wednesday this new proposal was handled in a Central Committee of Parliament.
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