Marco Pastors
Encyclopedia
Marco Pastors is a Dutch
politician
. He is currently political leader of the local party Leefbaar Rotterdam
, a member of the city council for Rotterdam
and the political leader of Een NL
, a Dutch political party at the national level. Between 2002 and 2005 he was also an alderman
(comparable to a deputy mayor) of Rotterdam.
He obtained a degree in economics from Erasmus University
in 1989 and from 1990 to 1993 he worked for OV-studentenkaart BV (a company managing public transportation for students) then headed by the late Pim Fortuyn
, his future political ally. He then went on to work for Getronics
and later on for Zenc (an IT provider for the public sector) of which he was a co-founder.
. He was given the responsibility for infrastructure and housing as an alderman
and he focused on improving living conditions in some of the Rotterdam slum
areas. He introduced measures which allowed tenants to buy their house and also introduced legislation banning prospective residents without a proper income or job prospects given the high unemployment and poverty in some residential area's. Some of these initiatives (called the Rotterdam Wet) were supported by national politicians.
Pastors was critical of the proliferation of mosque
s, the erection of minaret
s and was opposed to practises associated with new immigrants with a Muslim
background such as honor killing
s, polygamy
, forced marriage
and suppression of women. On a regular basis he was challenged for making denigrating remarks at the expense of the Muslim minority and left-wing politicians which he perceived as politically correct.
A denigrating remark regarding immigration and the political party Groen Links in the beginning of 2005 resulted in Pastors colliding with the city council and he was forced to further refrain from public comments on immigration and integration. In October 2005 he again collided with the city council when he commented in a Catholic newspaper that Muslims abused their religion when justifying some of their actions. As a result the city council forced him out as an Alderman on 8 November 2005. In the 2006 municipal elections in Rotterdam Leefbaar Rotterdam polled about a third of the vote, but lost 3 of their 17 seats and the Pastors-led party therefore moved to the opposition benches.
together with Joost Eerdmans
formerly a member of the Lijst Pim Fortuyn that participated in the Dutch general election, 2006
. Its main campaign issues were reforms in social security, education and integration of minorities. The party stood for pro law and order, anti bureaucracy. According to the new party new immigrants should understand that Western culture is the dominant culture.
Many of his voters believed Pastors to be "the real heir" to Pim Fortuyn. In a sweeping statement that aroused debate, Pastors said that radical Islam was being appeased in the same way as Nazism was in 1930s Germany. "There are big similarities. There were indications that developments in Germany were going the wrong way; that Germany was preparing for war; that Germany was making the Jews the scapegoat". Pastors criticized customs such as arranged marriages, lack of tolerance of homosexuality and lack of freedom to renounce the Islamic faith. "No one took measures against what Germany was doing. What we are doing is not taking actions against Muslims in quarters where they are living.".
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is currently political leader of the local party Leefbaar Rotterdam
Leefbaar Rotterdam
Livable Rotterdam is a political party in the large Dutch city of Rotterdam. It won the council elections of March 2002 due to the charismatic leadership of Pim Fortuyn. This made it the city's largest political party, a position held for 30 years by PvdA...
, a member of the city council for Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and the political leader of Een NL
Eén NL
Eén NL is a Dutch political party founded in September 2006. It took part in the 2006 Dutch election under the leadership of Marco Pastors and Joost Eerdmans, but a dismal election result leaves the political future of the party quite uncertain...
, a Dutch political party at the national level. Between 2002 and 2005 he was also an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
(comparable to a deputy mayor) of Rotterdam.
Early life
In his political pamphlet At your service which was published in 2006 he described his catholic and rural upbringing as unremarkable, with his parents' problematic marriage as a recurring theme.He obtained a degree in economics from Erasmus University
Erasmus University
Erasmus University Rotterdam is a university in the Netherlands, located in Rotterdam. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th century humanist and theologian...
in 1989 and from 1990 to 1993 he worked for OV-studentenkaart BV (a company managing public transportation for students) then headed by the late Pim Fortuyn
Pim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
, his future political ally. He then went on to work for Getronics
Getronics
Getronics N.V. is a company, subsidiary of the Dutch IT & Telecommunications firm KPN since October 2007, focused on creating value for IT Workspace Management Services, Applications & Software Development Services...
and later on for Zenc (an IT provider for the public sector) of which he was a co-founder.
Local politics
Pastors started his political career in January 2002 when his formed boss Fortuyn was elected leader of Leefbaar RotterdamLeefbaar Rotterdam
Livable Rotterdam is a political party in the large Dutch city of Rotterdam. It won the council elections of March 2002 due to the charismatic leadership of Pim Fortuyn. This made it the city's largest political party, a position held for 30 years by PvdA...
. He was given the responsibility for infrastructure and housing as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and he focused on improving living conditions in some of the Rotterdam slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
areas. He introduced measures which allowed tenants to buy their house and also introduced legislation banning prospective residents without a proper income or job prospects given the high unemployment and poverty in some residential area's. Some of these initiatives (called the Rotterdam Wet) were supported by national politicians.
Pastors was critical of the proliferation of mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s, the erection of minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
s and was opposed to practises associated with new immigrants with a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
background such as honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
s, polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, forced marriage
Forced marriage
Forced marriage is a term used to describe a marriage in which one or both of the parties is married without his or her consent or against his or her will...
and suppression of women. On a regular basis he was challenged for making denigrating remarks at the expense of the Muslim minority and left-wing politicians which he perceived as politically correct.
A denigrating remark regarding immigration and the political party Groen Links in the beginning of 2005 resulted in Pastors colliding with the city council and he was forced to further refrain from public comments on immigration and integration. In October 2005 he again collided with the city council when he commented in a Catholic newspaper that Muslims abused their religion when justifying some of their actions. As a result the city council forced him out as an Alderman on 8 November 2005. In the 2006 municipal elections in Rotterdam Leefbaar Rotterdam polled about a third of the vote, but lost 3 of their 17 seats and the Pastors-led party therefore moved to the opposition benches.
National politics
In 2006 Pastors started a new political party called Eén NLEén NL
Eén NL is a Dutch political party founded in September 2006. It took part in the 2006 Dutch election under the leadership of Marco Pastors and Joost Eerdmans, but a dismal election result leaves the political future of the party quite uncertain...
together with Joost Eerdmans
Joost Eerdmans
Bernard Johannes Eerdmans is a politician in the Netherlands, and member of the Eén NL party.-Personal life:Eerdmans studied Management Science at the Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam...
formerly a member of the Lijst Pim Fortuyn that participated in the Dutch general election, 2006
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
. Its main campaign issues were reforms in social security, education and integration of minorities. The party stood for pro law and order, anti bureaucracy. According to the new party new immigrants should understand that Western culture is the dominant culture.
Many of his voters believed Pastors to be "the real heir" to Pim Fortuyn. In a sweeping statement that aroused debate, Pastors said that radical Islam was being appeased in the same way as Nazism was in 1930s Germany. "There are big similarities. There were indications that developments in Germany were going the wrong way; that Germany was preparing for war; that Germany was making the Jews the scapegoat". Pastors criticized customs such as arranged marriages, lack of tolerance of homosexuality and lack of freedom to renounce the Islamic faith. "No one took measures against what Germany was doing. What we are doing is not taking actions against Muslims in quarters where they are living.".
External links
- Biography from the Dutch parliament.
- Politics starts at city level, an interview with ErasmusPC.