The Municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo wants to support a possible citizens’ initiative to commemorate the victims and those involved in the Second World War in the Dutch East Indies. Mayor Jos van Bree promised this, after questions about the move of the annual Indies commemoration to Eindhoven.
Councilor Miranda Verdouw of the local political party ‘Samen’ (together) said that her party considers it an ‘important event, in memory of the victims and those involved in the Second World War in the Dutch East Indies’. “The Indies commemoration must therefore be restarted and the municipality must support the initiative with appropriate resources”.
Declaration
About eighty per cent of the visitors to the Indies commemoration would not come from Geldrop-Mierlo, according to an earlier explanation from administrators. Moreover, there is no financial reason behind the move to Eindhoven, Mayor Van Bree said. The Samen political fraction doubted this and wanted an explanation.
According to Van Bree, there is an Indies monument in Eindhoven at Peppelrode residential complex, where the commemoration can be held. “We thought this would be a good time to examine our own commemoration of the Indies. Without the initiative from Eindhoven, we would not have done this”.
Network
Many people who attend the annual commemoration in Geldrop come from Eindhoven, Van Bree, who bases this on data he has received from the organising committees and other participants and visitors, says. For example, wreath layers and musicians. The registrations mainly come from the Indonesian and Moluccan network.
According to Van Bree, there was also sufficient support from this angle to make the move to Eindhoven possible. “The reactions on and after 15 August (after the last commemoration, ed.) have therefore somewhat surprised us. We thought that commemoration is the priority and not the place where this takes place. The latter turns out not to be the case.”
Future-proof
“Commemoration remains necessary, perhaps more than ever. Also for the younger generation. Hence our assumption that an Indies commemoration in Eindhoven would be more future-proof. Even though there is plenty of commemoration going on in Geldrop-Mierlo”.
Fraction Samen was satisfied with the Mayor’s answers. Various other parties subsequently had their say and agreed with the council’s answer and Samen’s response. “All’s well that ends wel”, Mark van Schaijk, of the CDA (christian democrats) fraction, concluded.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
