2023-06-07 05:12:00
The Open VLD, via Alexia Bertrand and Sven Gatz, proposes a drastic simplification of the Brussels institutions. This notably implies going from 89 deputies to a maximum of 50 in the Brussels Parliament.
Several Flemish parties, usually quick to castigate the bad government Brussels, quickly set about cursing this proposal…
The service to Dutch speakers “only guaranteed by the Flemish presence” in the institutions would be put in danger, they say, brandishing this old Flemish fear which has been the most powerful fuel for the construction of the current institutional mammoth in Brussels.
But in truth, this binary vision of Brussels limits itself to considering Dutch-speakers as a beleaguered minority in a French-speaking ocean. It adapts remarkably badly to objective reality. In our capital of 100 languages, Dutch education is a resounding success. Flemish schools refuse pupils.
Brussels needs fewer elected officials, but more political leaders.
And a more coherent overall management, a long-term vision that is financially sustainable. The plethoric number of elected members in Parliament, in the municipalities, in community and regional structures, as well as the complexity of this entanglement, does not contribute to this.
The Flemish Liberals’ proposal is not, however, devoid of Community ulterior motives. It provides for a ratio of 40 Francophones for 10 Dutch speakers. This is slightly more than the current representation (17 out of 89). The evolution of the Dutch-speaking population of Brussels no longer justifies such a distribution key.
Let’s go further: do these outdated linguistic representations still have their place in a cosmopolitan city like Brussels? The PTB has funding as a French language group. The PVDA receives another under the Dutch-speaking role. It is, however, the same party. Because the Brussels Parliament recognizes only one identity to a deputy: French-speaking or Dutch-speaking. It is not allowed to change it during a lifetime. Could we not authorize linguistic neutrality for lists or elected officials? And question the logic of this linguistic apartheid in Brussels.
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