CharlesVermeulen.com - Weblog Charles Vermeulen

Rita Verdonk Fair and Square · 18 February 2007, 12:11 CET by Charles Vermeulen

In last Friday’s telecast of Dutch current affairs program NOVA Minister for Integration and Immigration Rita Verdonk was offered the opportunity to prove her straightforwardness once more. This week some tumult ensued after new MP Sietse Fritsma of the party of Geert Wilders, the PVV, had tried to prevent the appointment of Ahmed Aboutaleb and Nebahat Albayrak (both PvdA, the Dutch Labour Party) as respectively Minister of Social Affairs and Justice State Secretary because of their double nationality. (Aboutaleb is of Moroccan and Albayak of Turkish descent.) During the telecast it appeared, not supprisingly, that the Minister agreed with the view of Fritsma. Because of this NOVA Interviewer Twan Huys asked the Minister if she thought it desirable that the very popular, blond Princess Maxima should end her dual nationality and give up her Argentine passport too. At first it seemed that she was ready to take on a tough stance once more as she replied: "I have the same opinion about her as I have Members of Parliament and Members of Government. I deem it important for everyone to give th[e] sign[: I’m in the Netherlands, Member of Parliament or Member of Government, and I possess that Dutch nationality and I’m proud of it]." She thought it ‘a chutzpah’ to have two passports. But after Huys tried to summarize her view as ‘Minister Rita Verdonk is of the opinion that crown-princess Maxima should surrender her Argentinian Passport’ she subtly took a safer stance. On a tone by which she seemed to express her approval of his summary she replied in a way by she in fact distanced herself from it as her words read as follows: "You know that Minister Rita Verdonk holds the view that laws apply for everyone in the same way in this country and that everyone should make his own judgement".

aboutaleb, ahmed aboutaleb, albayrak, geert wilders, maxima, nebahat albayrak, netherlands, populism, pvda, pvv, rita verdonk, verdonk, wilders

home | permalink | comment

Saudi Students in the Land of Flowers · 29 January 2007, 21:32 CET by Charles Vermeulen

Today Dutch public television news show NOS Journaal reported about more than 560 students from Saudi Arabia who arrived in the Netherlands for a seven years stay during which they will be trained for physician. Later that night I sat on the couch to zap for a while and while doing so I ran into a show hosted by Dutch tv celebrities Patty Brard and Gerard Joling. Instantly my thoughts wandered to the Saudi students. What would they think of Patty Brard and Gerard Joling? Not very much right now, but they will be taught Dutch and then inevitably Dutch popular culture will penetrate their minds. This means that they will learn about Dutch minister for Integration and Immigration Rita Verdonk, about Geert Wilders who once said he eats headscarves for breakfast, about drunk, trashing hooligans flooding the streets after a soccer game. I could not help wondering what their final impression would be after seven years in the Netherlands? Will their stay bring the West and the Middle East together or will it fuel occidentalist sentiments? One student told the NOS Journaal reporter that she preferred a stay in the Netherlands to Australia, because, among other things, it was ‘lovely and quiet’. She wanted to stay in ‘the land of flowers’. I honestly hope she won’t be disappointed.

geert wilders, gerard joling, headscarve, maastricht, netherlands, patty brard, rita verdonk, saudi arabia, saudi students, university of maastricht, verdonk, wilders

home | permalink | comment [2]

Minister of Expelling Foreigners · 27 December 2006, 18:29 CET by Charles Vermeulen

In an oped in today’s edition of Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad poet, novelist and polemicist Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer levels biting criticism on the Netherlands. In 2006 this country has in turned into ‘a narrow-minded, parochial, xenophobic country’, Pfeijffer states. An example of this new mentality which Pfeijffer adduces and which is worthwile quoting here, is the popularity of Dutch Minister for Integration and Immigration Rita Verdonk. Verdonk, who got more votes than her boss and leader of the VVD Mark Rutte during the General Election of 2006, is perceived by the Dutch electorate as ‘Minister of Expelling Foreigners’, Pfeijffer rightly states. And the fear of her political associates of alienating this part of the electorate explains why she survived so many political scandals.

ilja leonard pfeijffer, mark rutte, netherlands, pfeijffer, rita verdonk, rutte, verdonk, vvd, xenophobia

home | permalink | comment

Rutte Wards Off Coup - Verdonk Backs Down · 29 November 2006, 07:34 CET by Charles Vermeulen

Yesterday night the parliamentary party of the VVD, including fighting cocks Rita Verdonk and her boss Mark Rutte, convened and had some ‘very intensive talks’. It became clear that Rutte was supported by the party and Verdonk stood pretty much alone. According to Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant some members of the parliamentary party accused Verdonk of ‘destroying the party’. Current Minister of Internal Affairs and as such influential VVD member Johan Remkes dismissed the idea of setting up a research commitee, because «commitee’s are underground shelters spineless for politicians. Verdonk must simply decide what she wants.» At the end of the evening that the outcome of the ‘very intensive talks’ appeared to be that there won’t be any committee that would decide who should lead the VVD’s parliamentary party and Verdonk was / felt forced Verdonk to state publicly that she will ‘range herself on the side of Mark Rutte’. Because ’[h]e’s the number 1’.

Rita Verdonk, Verdonk, Mark Rutte, Rutte, Johan Remkes, VVD

johan remkes, mark rutte, netherlands, rita verdonk, rutte, verdonk, vvd

home | permalink | comment

The Loyalty of Rita Verdonk · 28 November 2006, 21:20 CET by Charles Vermeulen

Today, on a press conference set up by herself, Dutch Minister for Integration and Immigration Rita Verdonk stated that she will remain loyal to the parliamentary party and to her boss, current leader of the VVD Mark Rutte. But because she attracted more voters than the number one of the list of candidates during the General Election – ‘a unique situation’, she stressed – she deemed it necessary that the party contemplates on the new situation. Therefore she told the party’s leadership that it should set up a committee which should research what this situation implicates.

dutch general election, mark rutte, netherlands, rita verdonk, rutte, verdonk, vvd

home | permalink | comment

Dutch General Election - Aftermath · 27 November 2006, 20:20 CET by Charles Vermeulen

Today the final election-results were declared by the Electoral Council (Kiesraad) and it had a remarkable result in store as far as the center-right party VVD of Mark Rutte is concerned. After former political leader of the VVD Jozias van Aartsen resigned Rutte had to compete with hard-line Minister for Integration and Immigration Rita Verdonk for the party’s leadership. Rutte was elected by 51.5% of the VVD members and could count on the support of the VVD leadership. The Dutch voters decided otherwise. During the General Election, which were held last Wednessday and during which the VVD lost 6 seats in the Dutch Lower House, 553,200 of them voted on Rutte and 620,555 on Verdonk. According to Dutch public television news show NOS Journaal it was the first time in the history of the Dutch parliament that the number two of a party beat the leader. Maybe even more remarkable: Verdonk apparently didn’t feel uncomfortable about it. On the contrary, she was ‘proud’ of it and clearly in ecstasies because of it as she cried out: ’(...) 60,000 Voters, this is truly unbelievable!’ So much for decency and loyalty within the VVD. The question is now: will she actually attempt to topple Rutte and force her party to embark on a less moderate, right-wing course? The party’s prodigal son, PVV leader Geert Wilders, is probably closely following current events.

dutch general election, mark rutte, netherlands, rita verdonk, rutte, verdonk, vvd

home | permalink | comment

Minister Verdonk Attending Al Jazeera in Dutch · 18 November 2006, 19:41 CET by Charles Vermeulen

The 6 pm edition of Dutch public television news show NOS Journaal showed Dutch Minister for Integration and Immigration Rita Verdonk in the coastal village of Noordwijk being interviewed by Al Jazeera about the intention of the Dutch government to ban the wearing of burqa’s and other face covering veils in public. The minister, known for her tough stance towards non-western immigrants, answered the interviewers in Dutch instead of in English. Why? Because she deemed ‘it very important that Dutch is spoken by all sorts of people who want to participate in society’.

al jazeera, burqa, dutch, face covering veils, netherlands, rita verdonk, veil

home | permalink | comment [2]