The Netherlands: Trying to Find Itself Again – by Rick Morren
The fact that the Dutch are able to successfully market Santa Claus twice in December, first to celebrate “Sinterklaas” on December the 5th and then again as the “Christmas man” (Kerstman) on the 25th , tells you something about this country of some 16 million people. The love of making money is in their blood.
Already in the 17th century the Dutch, traditionally able seafarers and keen mapmakers, dominated world trade. In 1602 the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) was founded. It was the first multinational corporation ever. A large part of the wealth of the Dutch also came through slavery. By 1650, the Netherlands became the No-1 slave trading country in Europe. Amsterdam was not only the European capital of slavery trade, but also managed the neighboring nation’s slave trade. Even today the Netherlands dominate trade between European countries because of it favorable geographical positioned on a crossing of east-west and north-south trade routes, determined in large part by three major rivers, including the Rhine.
But there is something new going on in the Netherlands. Sometimes change is more clearly seen by those who have been away from the country for a while. The tolerant and vibrant Netherlands I knew of yesterday is gone. Racism, segregation, intolerance, religion, class struggle, belt tightening, laziness, obesity, are all words appearing in the Dutch press these day, describing what seems to be a divided nation.
Bob Vlugt, born in Amsterdam and
now living in Miami wrote to the Dutch International Radio:
"Unfortunately all these problems that the Netherlands are starting to
experience are the problems that we have in the US and are now exported all over
the world, and also to Holland. A loss of self respect and respect for others.
We (the US) have brought Rap music and filthy American words into the Dutch
language, I hear it all the time on shows seen on BVNTV, such as “Ramon
is laat” [late-night Dutch television programme, ed]. The youth
think it is cool and think nothing of it to use these words with the same type
of 'I don't care attitude’. It’s a shame."
To make matters worse the Dutch population has not only become culturally Americanized, they also reflect this in their spending habits. The November issue of “Dutch Management Team” notes that Dutch consumers are buying more (245 billion EUROS) than they are earning (237 billion).
The US love for automobiles and fast food has also become a passion for the Dutch, regardless of the fact that the country has one of the best public transport systems in the world and that gas cost the equivalent of $6.00 per gallon here. Two and three car families are now considered pretty normal. As a result the Netherlands road network becomes gridlocked from 8 to 11 am and again from 4 to 7 pm. It also turned many of the ‘slim and trim’ Dutch, who in the past considered biking as a passion, into obese fast food junkies. Long live the free market system?
Another alarming survey shows that the majority of Dutch employees, who get an average of 6 weeks of paid vacation per year, are considered lazy by most of their employers. The Dutch might have copied some of the vices of America, but certainly not the work ethic. Unfortunately the traditional multi-national and multi-cultural mentality of the Dutch has turned into a posture which is selfish and inward looking. This is seen as one of the main reasons that the Netherlands voted against the EU constitution last year. Right-wing politicians also added fuel to the fire by tying the EU constitution to the ever increasing number of immigrants. Fortunately, the younger generation is waking up to the fact that some of the information they got from the politicians was not correct and that going it alone in Europe would make them even more dependent on external marketing and political forces they have no control over. As to immigration this should not be seen as problem, but as a necessity to survive.
In general Dutch politicians have done an extremely poor job at promoting the benefits of the EU to the general public. The majority of the Dutch population continues to feel threatened by the need to adjust to world-wide marketing forces for fear they might have to become more productive and give up some of their sacred social benefits.
On the controversial subject of immigration in the Netherlands, we found some interesting statistics at the CBS (Dutch Statistical office).
The number of emigrants is continually growing, but in the first nine months of 2006, nearly 100 thousand people left the Netherlands to settle elsewhere. For the third consecutive year, emigrants substantially outnumber immigrants. Recent figures published by the Dutch Statistical Office show that – solely due to migration – the population was reduced over the past three years by 75 thousand, i.e. the number of residents of a medium-sized town.
However, the number of immigrants is also on the increase. In the first three quarters of this year, 76 thousand immigrants settled in the Netherlands, an increase by 6000 compared to the previous year. They primarily came from Poland, Germany and the United States. The number of former Dutch emigrants returning to their country of birth is also growing.
Over the whole period 2004-2006, the population is expected to grow by just under 100,000. In the years 2001-2003, the population increased by more than 270,000. The declining birth rate also slows down population growth. In the first nine months of this year, 139,000 babies were born, a decrease by 3000 compared with the same period in 2005. If this trend continues, this year’s birth rate will be under 185,000, the lowest number in two decades.
Like most countries in Europe, the Netherlands needs immigration to survive, but politicians hardly ever make this clear to the voters. Legally qualified immigrants should be welcomed with open arms. Secularism and educational aptitude, not religion, must be the common qualifier in the immigration process for the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.
On November 22 the Netherlands votes in national parliamentary elections. They have a choice between 12 parties. Immigrants are also expected to participate actively in these elections. In a recent poll 94 % of the Turkish immigrants said they would take part in the election and 12 Turkish origin candidates representing different national parties are actually running for parliament in today’s’ election. As usual, no party will get an absolute majority to form a government, so once again the Netherlands will have a coalition government. This means either center-left or a center-right. It seems the chances are favorable for a grand-coalition to include the Labor party and the Christian Democrats as the principal players. This scenario would probably be the best solution for the Netherlands as it tries to find itself and adjust its rapidly changing environment. At this juncture in Dutch history a stalemate in forming a new government could have some negative effects on the overall social, political and economic health of the Netherlands.
There is no doubt in my mind that a strong “New Netherlands” will eventually emerge. It will be a mix of the old pragmatic Dutch mentality supported by an ever increasing inflow of vibrant and productive immigrants
Transformation', tolerance, adaptability and stability, must be the key words in these changing and exciting times for the Netherlands.