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Your Excellencies, Dignitaries and Ladies and Gentlemen,
the wonderful staff of the Nelson Mandela Festival
managed to put together another very exiting music
event.
Music, the
language of all people in the world is bringing us
together here on the river banks of the Maas in
Rotterdam
Thousands
decided to leave their land of birth and migrated to
unknown destinations, mostly for economic and or
political reasons. In Holland we take it for granted.
From the very start Holland was formed by refugees. In
the 16th century, it was the humanist
philosopher, Desiderius Erasmus who founded a safe haven
in Rotterdam. John Newton of Oxford, Descartes of France
and many others prominent en less prominent followed.
They shaped the Dutch culture in all its forms as we
know it today.
Nevertheless we
should never forget that these people often fled from
persecution and State sponsored terrorism. The Dutch can
hardly imagine what that means.
Last year, after
calling for an end to crime and corruption, politicians
of the Netherlands Antilles declared me Persona non
Grata, and instigated a boycott of my businesses and
properties. Last month, at a Caribbean Investment
Conference, where I called for an end to the influence
of all destroying the narco industry, I was again hit by
the political echelon of the Netherlands Antilles and
became a virtual outlaw. My protest against anti-Semitic
intimidation, ongoing discrimination and lack of freedom
of speech was met by the lt. Governor as being
unacceptable, an act that demanded immediate measures of
the government.
Today, I am
allowed to speak at the Nelson Mandela Festival but next
week, at the Games of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, my
contribution as key note speaker was cancelled after
extreme pressure of members of parliament.
Today, ladies
and gentlemen, I know that even in the Kingdom of the
Netherlands we have State sponsored intimidation and
discrimination, even if your only sin is a call to halt
crime and corruption.
As never before,
I sympathize with the thousands who were so courteous to
leave their country is search of freedom and prosperity.
By investing positive energy in building new consensus
and new realities, we can create a new society, a
society without discrimination, a society of tolerance ,
a society of freedom for every individual indifferent
his or her, race, religion, philosophy, sexual
preference or life style.
I am convinced
that long term; evil and vicious abuse of power by
governments will not be able to stand up to the new
world of mutual respect and freedom.
And yes, even we
in the Kingdom of the Netherlands have a long way to
go.Let us go together as Nelson Mandela, who showed us
ways of reconcilliation
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