Municipality of Amsterdam puts speakers offside!
Recently, Amsterdammers wanted to speak in the committee of the municipality. However, 3 people had already heard themselves and other speakers could only submit something in writing… While the municipality of Amsterdam shouts ‘Participation is important’! So what happened to the right to speak in Amsterdam?
Rumors are that men in the capital of the Netherlands want to sideline a number of speakers. People who ‘always’ speak up… To be those people, the rules in Amsterdam have been adjusted. In other major cities such as Rotterdam and The Hague, commenters can still register without a maximum number. So strange that this has been restricted in Amsterdam.
In 2020, this proposal to reduce the right to speak will be included in the ‘Rules of Procedure’. Unnoticed by many Amsterdammers, who sometimes want to use their right to speak. In October 2021, the Amsterdam council then compiled a survey. To the question “To what extent are you satisfied that there are a maximum of 3 speakers per agenda item?” has more than half of the councilors who have reported co-community; ‘very satisfied or satisfied’. Yes, the council members are probably happy that they can go home on time, but have they also put the question to the public? So no, discovered from the data.
Partly due to those council members (removed from which 8 council members did not participate out of 45 council members), the maximum number of speakers per agenda item of 3 people was ‘maintained..’ (15 were very satisfied, 12 satisfied, 9 dissatisfied to very dissatisfied and 1 neutral). Thus the proposal of the new regulation. Shouldn’t a council have more room for commentators to give input, or is the ‘arrogance of power’ speaking here, as some Amsterdammers put it? Is this called democracy? Do you want to join?
The survey also showed that the council members like the fact that there are no signs or banners in the council chamber, and that the public should behave neutrally in the public gallery in the council chamber… 30 of the 37 council members are there agree. Are we now talking about the Amsterdam council: the latter will see everything ‘neatly’ and let it run smoothly in the council chamber? Yes, it is about the Amsterdam City Council!
Surely a speaker who always comes to speak on the same subject can be kept in check? But if all Amsterdammers properly register to speak, and could be 4th or more in line, depriving them of the right to speak is probably just a bit too much of a good thing. And a banner is also part of it, right? What could be wrong with that?
In 2023, there will certainly be a council address from various citizens to this new City Council: “That this was a nice trial period, but that the citizens are not satisfied..” Don’t silence its citizens”!