2 April 2005
Dutch democrats?
by Charles Hugo, Sat 2 Apr 2005 11:55 pm » News
The D66 (Democrats 66) party has voted to stay in the current right-wing government coalition.
The D66 party was originally founded in 1966 on a platform of reforms to the Dutch democratic system in order to give more say to voters in how they were governed. Hans van Mierlo, one of the leading founders of the party has even claimed that "political renewal" and "radical democratization" are the sole reasons for the party's existence.
Apparently the "democrats 66" have set aside their guiding principles, because they have now voted to continue their participation in a coalition government against the wishes of 70% of the Dutch electorate.
The continued participation of D66 in the government became uncertain after the upper house of the Dutch parliament failed to agree to constitutional changes required to allow the direct election of mayors. Currently Dutch mayors are appointed by the Crown, usually on the recommendation of the city council. Mayoral reform was the main reason for D66's participation in the current coalition.
At a congress held on 2 April 2005, which was broadcast live on Dutch TV, the "democrats" decided that it was in their own and the "country's interest" not to leave the coalition. Opposition parties have said D66 is simply afraid of the voters.
The current Dutch coalition government has implemented draconian reforms of the social security system and cutbacks on public spending while reducing the highest income tax rates and corporate taxes. In polls, a large majority of Dutch voters have indicated that they have little or no confidence in the current cabinet led by prime minister Balkenende - who is disparagingly called "Harry Potter" because of his schoolboy haircut.
I shudder at the thought of another two years of this government. So far the government's policies have only made everything worse. Liberalization of the railways and electricity have only led to higher prices and worse service and muncipal rates and charges have almost doubled. Unemployment has increased, as well as bankruptcies and foreclosures. A recent poll showed that 38% of middle-class families had trouble making ends meet.
The D66 party was originally founded in 1966 on a platform of reforms to the Dutch democratic system in order to give more say to voters in how they were governed. Hans van Mierlo, one of the leading founders of the party has even claimed that "political renewal" and "radical democratization" are the sole reasons for the party's existence.
Apparently the "democrats 66" have set aside their guiding principles, because they have now voted to continue their participation in a coalition government against the wishes of 70% of the Dutch electorate.
The continued participation of D66 in the government became uncertain after the upper house of the Dutch parliament failed to agree to constitutional changes required to allow the direct election of mayors. Currently Dutch mayors are appointed by the Crown, usually on the recommendation of the city council. Mayoral reform was the main reason for D66's participation in the current coalition.
At a congress held on 2 April 2005, which was broadcast live on Dutch TV, the "democrats" decided that it was in their own and the "country's interest" not to leave the coalition. Opposition parties have said D66 is simply afraid of the voters.
The current Dutch coalition government has implemented draconian reforms of the social security system and cutbacks on public spending while reducing the highest income tax rates and corporate taxes. In polls, a large majority of Dutch voters have indicated that they have little or no confidence in the current cabinet led by prime minister Balkenende - who is disparagingly called "Harry Potter" because of his schoolboy haircut.
I shudder at the thought of another two years of this government. So far the government's policies have only made everything worse. Liberalization of the railways and electricity have only led to higher prices and worse service and muncipal rates and charges have almost doubled. Unemployment has increased, as well as bankruptcies and foreclosures. A recent poll showed that 38% of middle-class families had trouble making ends meet.
8 February 2005
Koos Kombuis' open letter to SA president Mbeki
by Charles Hugo, Tue 8 Feb 2005 12:06 pm » News
Koos Kombuis is an Afrikaans-speaking white South African "liberal" and a well-known musician and writer in South Africa. I'm posting his open letter to President Thabo Mbeki because it puts into words a growing unease many South Africans both at home and abroad feel about the rhetoric coming from the SA government, and in particular expressed by President Mbeki in his weekly "Letter from the President".
Read more!17 November 2004
Kill dophins to prevent shark attacks?
The shark attack near Cape Town on Monday has shocked local residents and tourists alike. A huge great white shark bit local resident Tyna Webb in half during her daily morning swim.Unfortunately it has led to renewed calls to place shark nets at Cape beaches. While shark nets have been shown to reduce the (already small) chance of swimmers being attacked by sharks, they have a dirty little secret: they kill dolphins.
Around 60 dolphins a year get caught in the shark nets off the main beaches of Kwazulu-Natal on South Africa's east coast. Dolphins drown if they cannot reach the surface for air.
The shark nets were originally placed at Kwazulu-Natal beaches after "black December" in 1957 when a series of horrific shark attacks killed 5 people near Margate. Although it is now generally recognized that this was a freak incident, possibly related to the discharge of blood into the sea from whaling stations along the coast.
Humans are irrational about risks. Only 6 people are killed in shark attacks a year world-wide. Compare that to the number of victims of traffic accidents (10,000 a year in South Africa alone). There seems to be something terrifying to the human mind about a wild creature or uncontrolled nature.
Of course, the real force behind calls to install shark nets will come from the tourist industry claiming lost income and opportunities. Capitalism can be incredibly selfish, stupid and short-sighted. I hope that true lovers of the ocean will be able to counter this inevitable pressure.
Isabelle Spies, one of Tyna's daughters, said that "a revenge attack would be the last thing that my mom, who was such a gentle person, would want".
"She said that she respected the shark's dominion, that when she went swimming she knew she was entering their domain. My mom's wishes should be respected. She was the person who was attacked, after all."
"A fatal attack is such a rare thing. More important than killing the shark, there should be a look at why there have been more attacks recently."
Geremy Cliff, head of research for the Natal Sharks Board, said it cost R1-million annually to maintain the shark nets at Amanzimtoti. The nets caught around 60 dolphins, 60 turtles, 200 rays and 600 sharks each year. Most of these animals died before they could be freed.
Cape Times, November 17 2004
See also:
National Geographic article about shark net debate
Shark net dilemma for whales in Australia
16 November 2004
2 November - Death of a filmmaker
by Charles Hugo, Tue 16 Nov 2004 2:04 am » News
It could have been a scene from one of the filmmaker’s own movies.It was 8:45 am on an autumn Tuesday morning in East Amsterdam. A pleasant, “multicultural” part of town. Amsterdammers are making their way to work and school like they do on any other Tuesday morning.
But on this particular Tuesday morning a man is waiting. His name is Mohammed Bouyeri. His heart is cold and filled with hate. He expects to die this pale November morning. For this occasion, he is dressed in a traditional Moroccan djelaba. He has chosen to die as a Moroccan, not as a Dutchman, although he was born and has spent his entire life in Amsterdam. Actually, he would rather be waiting for the Somali woman Ayaan Hirsi Ali, member of the Dutch parliament and blasphemer against the prophet (may peace be upon Him). But the police are hiding her in a safe house somewhere, so he is waiting for her filmmaker instead. Pretty girls and children cycle by, but he has no eye for them. He is intent on death.
The filmmaker himself is cycling along the bicycle path on the side of the broad Linaeusstraat. He is heading from his home in Watergraafsmeer into the center of Amsterdam. He has no reason to expect this Tuesday to be any different from any other Tuesday. Amsterdam is his city and home. A big, friendly, tolerant village, where you can get anywhere by bicycle.
In movies, murders are usually committed for human failings such as greed or jealousy, sometimes for sheer perversity. Killing to protect oneself or others is not murder. In movies, the death of the evil one is usually cause for celebration – allowing us to sleep safely because the human beast has been killed once again. This morning, reality doesn’t fit neatly into 90 minute movie formats. The motive is more complicated, part of a bigger whole the filmmaker has unknowingly become a part of. He has no connection with the attacker waiting for him.
The cyclist has almost reached the Oosterpark, just opposite the Borough Council offices when he encounters the other protagonist in this scene. As if stepping out of another world of stony mountains and desert sands, a land where his people walked with pride, the man in the Moroccan robe steps forward. He draws an automatic pistol and fires several times at the cyclist. He is not a good shot. The cyclist is wounded but manages to cross the street, perhaps trying to reach the safety of the official building. Passers by and other cyclists, some of them with small children scatter and seek refuge in the side streets. The attacker follows his victim and fires more shots. The filmmaker falls on the pavement, wounded or dying. More shots into the prostrate figure. Perhaps the attacker wants to make sure his victim is dead before he proceeds with the next step in his plan. He draws a large knife from his robe and slits the filmmaker’s throat. Then he takes a smaller knife and, implanting it in the chest, uses it to pin a letter to the now lifeless body. He walks calmly away from the scene.
Theo van Gogh lies dead on the side of the street. The filmmaker is dead.
The police soon arrive from the nearby police station. Mohammed Bouyeri is followed into the nearby park and after a brief exchange of gunfire is wounded in his leg and apprehended.
Mohammed Bouyeri is still alive. He is not a martyr as he had planned, he will spend his life in prison instead.
The police find a suicide note in his pocket. It reads:
BAPTIZED IN BLOOD
So these are my last words…
riddled with bullets…
baptized in blood…
as I had hoped.
I am leaving a message…
for you… the fighter…
the Tawheed tree is waiting…
yearning for your blood…
enter the bargain…
and Allah opens the way…
He gives you a garden…
instead of the Earthly rubble.
To the enemy I say…
You will surely die…
Wherever in the world you go…
Death is waiting for you…
Chased by the knights of DEATH…
who paint the streets with Red.
For the hypocrites I have one final word…
Wish DEATH or hold your tongue… and sit.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, my end is nigh…
But this does not end the story.
16 June 2004
Weird Arjan Erkel ransom money dispute
by Charles Hugo, Wed 16 Jun 2004 11:19 pm » News
This is truly weird:
The Dutch government is trying to reclaim (a reported amount of) 1 million dollars ransom money they paid to Russian kidnappers for the release of Dutch citizen Arjan Erkel who worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Dagestan. The Dutch government claims that Medecins Sans Frontieres promised to pay them the money in an "oral agreement". Medecins Sans Frontieres denies being involved in the negotiations in any way, or having promised to pay anything.
The weirdest thing is that, in a statement published on their website, Medecins Sans Frontieres now alleges that Dutch officials demanded payment of the (reported amount of)1 million dollars in cash!
The Dutch government is trying to reclaim (a reported amount of) 1 million dollars ransom money they paid to Russian kidnappers for the release of Dutch citizen Arjan Erkel who worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Dagestan. The Dutch government claims that Medecins Sans Frontieres promised to pay them the money in an "oral agreement". Medecins Sans Frontieres denies being involved in the negotiations in any way, or having promised to pay anything.
The weirdest thing is that, in a statement published on their website, Medecins Sans Frontieres now alleges that Dutch officials demanded payment of the (reported amount of)1 million dollars in cash!
"After Arjan Erkel's release, the Dutch government claimed all credit for it, including having "greenlighted the operation". Soon after, however, the Dutch government began demanding that MSF cover the cost of their deal, even requesting that the payment be reimbursed in cash to avoid public scrutiny."Somehow this doesn't sound like governmental procedure - something's wrong somewhere. Would a government authority really shell out 1 million dollars on an "oral agreement"? Since when do public servants do anything according to "oral agreements"?
Medecins Sans Frontieres statement on Arjan Erkel's release
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