Antigua & Barbuda THE CITIZEN

Page 28

opinion by Ahmad Abbas

Business Development Professional of Reach Immigration

ANCIENT ROME: THE FORERUNNERS OF CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT The premise of citizenship was cultivated many a millennium ago. To be a citizen is a term that has been defined time and time again throughout history.

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It was Ancient Rome however, that truly defined citizenship. The Republic broke it down to a plethora of divisions; with the rights granted varying depending on the division or tier of citizenship a certain person possessed. The term Civitas, which means citizenship in Ancient Rome, was a coveted one. No other status in the world held as much grandeur as a Roman Citizen. The most powerful nation. The freest people. The centre of the world. All roads lead to Rome may be an adage in our time, but a couple of thousand years ago, it was the undeniable truth. It was then no surprise that Roman Citizenship was a coveted gem yearned for by all subjects who found themselves under the direct rule of the everexpanding Roman Republic. Freedom of movement and mobility were not concerns back then; the sheer amount of benefits of the Civitas however, were; chief among them the right to work in the Republic’s government and the eligibility for military service (both of which were accompanied by great honour and colossal riches).

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THE CITIZEN


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