Tara Singh Varma
Encyclopedia
Tarapatie Oedayraj Singh Varma (born in Springlands
(British Guyana
), August 29, 1948) is a former Dutch politician and former member of the House of Representatives for the GreenLeft party who gained notoriety after falsely claiming to suffer from an incurable cancer.
at the time, studying teaching and law
, without graduating. She then moved to Amsterdam
, in the continental part of the Netherlands
. In Amsterdam she became active for the Communist Party of the Netherlands
. Between 1982 and 1994 she was member of the Amsterdam municipal council for the CPN, between 1986 and 1990 for the Left Accord, a common list of the Pacifist Socialist Party
and the Political Party of Radicals, and between 1990 and 1994 for GreenLeft
, which was formed by a merger of CPN, PSP, PPR, and the small Evangelical People's Party.
Singh Varma was very active in civil society. She was a member various boards of associations and foundations for migrants, women and other social groups. She founded and led an Amsterdam information point. She had a column in the women's weekly Furore, and was a member of the radio panel of the VARA radio show Punch. She also was treasurer of the Grenada Committee.
, Singh Varma became member of the House of Representatives. She succeeded Ina Brouwer
, who had stepped down after the poor election results. She was the first female member of the House of Representatives who was not born in the Netherlands. When she entered parliament questions were raised about her integrity. There were questions surrounding fundraising
efforts for the Grenada Foundation in which Singh Varma was involved. A committee led by former minister Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta
came to the conclusion that Singh Varma had not embezzled money, but that her actions as treasurer
had been neglectful. In parliament Singh Varma spoke on home affairs, health, and welfare. She paid particular attention to the position of migrant women. While in parliament she took many positions outside of parliament in boards of foundations and associations for migrants, women and other social groups. She chaired the Surinam Women's Council and was member of the board of the Volunteer Centre in Amsterdam, the migrant women centre Zami, and the prostitutes' trade union
the Red Thread. In 1996 she claimed to be intimidated and attacked by far right
groups. No proof of this was ever found.
In 1997 she was put on the ninth place on the GreenLeft list for the 1998 election
. The committee for candidacy stated that she "did not excel in parliamentary work," but because of the unexpectedly good election result for the GreenLeft she was re-elected. She also got a large number of preference votes. In 1998 she was a member of the parliamentary inquiry committee on the airplane crash in the Bijlmermeer
. This position got her national fame.
In June 2001 the TROS
television show Opgelicht?! (in English Framed?!) discovered that Singh Varma did not suffer from cancer. Moreover, according to this program, Singh Varma had not fulfilled financial promises to the India
n development organization Ninash Foundation, which had put the organization into financial problems.
First Singh Varma denied both claims and sued the journalists. In August 2001 she claimed that she had not suffered from cancer and instead suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after self-fabricated far right
threats and her commitment to the victims of the plane crash in the Bijlmermeer. In 2002 she publicly apologized for her actions. She denied lying on purpose about her diseases and stated that she suffered from delusions and medical condition called pseudologia fantastica. Paul Rosenmöller
, political leader of the GreenLeft
at the time writes that he felt "cheated and angry" because of her revelations.
Springlands
Springlands is a suburb to the west of Blenheim's central district. It is located heading out of Blenheim on Nelson Street towards Renwick. It has a tavern, video shop, various takeaways, and a superstore....
(British Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
), August 29, 1948) is a former Dutch politician and former member of the House of Representatives for the GreenLeft party who gained notoriety after falsely claiming to suffer from an incurable cancer.
Life before politics
Although she was born in British Guyana, she attended vocational education in Surinam, which was a colony of the NetherlandsDutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
at the time, studying teaching and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, without graduating. She then moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, in the continental part of the Netherlands
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...
. In Amsterdam she became active for the Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
. Between 1982 and 1994 she was member of the Amsterdam municipal council for the CPN, between 1986 and 1990 for the Left Accord, a common list of the Pacifist Socialist Party
Pacifist Socialist Party
The Pacifist Socialist Party was a Dutch left-socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It is a predecessor of the GreenLeft.-Before 1957:...
and the Political Party of Radicals, and between 1990 and 1994 for GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
, which was formed by a merger of CPN, PSP, PPR, and the small Evangelical People's Party.
Singh Varma was very active in civil society. She was a member various boards of associations and foundations for migrants, women and other social groups. She founded and led an Amsterdam information point. She had a column in the women's weekly Furore, and was a member of the radio panel of the VARA radio show Punch. She also was treasurer of the Grenada Committee.
Political life
After the 1994 electionDutch general election, 1994
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 3, 1994.-Results:...
, Singh Varma became member of the House of Representatives. She succeeded Ina Brouwer
Ina Brouwer
Ina Brouwer is a Dutch politician. She was chairperson of the Communist Party of the Netherlands in the House of Representatives and MP for GreenLeft, into which the CPN merged in 1989.-Education and early career:...
, who had stepped down after the poor election results. She was the first female member of the House of Representatives who was not born in the Netherlands. When she entered parliament questions were raised about her integrity. There were questions surrounding fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
efforts for the Grenada Foundation in which Singh Varma was involved. A committee led by former minister Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta
Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta
Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta was a Dutch politician.-References:...
came to the conclusion that Singh Varma had not embezzled money, but that her actions as treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
had been neglectful. In parliament Singh Varma spoke on home affairs, health, and welfare. She paid particular attention to the position of migrant women. While in parliament she took many positions outside of parliament in boards of foundations and associations for migrants, women and other social groups. She chaired the Surinam Women's Council and was member of the board of the Volunteer Centre in Amsterdam, the migrant women centre Zami, and the prostitutes' trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
the Red Thread. In 1996 she claimed to be intimidated and attacked by far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
groups. No proof of this was ever found.
In 1997 she was put on the ninth place on the GreenLeft list for the 1998 election
Dutch general election, 1998
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on 6 May 1998.-Result:...
. The committee for candidacy stated that she "did not excel in parliamentary work," but because of the unexpectedly good election result for the GreenLeft she was re-elected. She also got a large number of preference votes. In 1998 she was a member of the parliamentary inquiry committee on the airplane crash in the Bijlmermeer
Bijlmermeer
The Bijlmermeer or colloquially Bijlmer is one of the neighbourhoods that form the Amsterdam Zuidoost borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands. To many people, the Bijlmer designation is used to refer to Amsterdam Zuidoost and Diemen Zuid as a pars pro toto...
. This position got her national fame.
Affaire Singh Varma
In 2000 Singh Varma claimed that she was less able to perform her work as Member of Parliament. Twice she appeared in the House of Representatives in a wheelchair. She claimed to suffer from an incurable form of cancer and announced that she would leave the House of Representatives to prepare for the end of her life.In June 2001 the TROS
TROS
TROS is a Dutch television and radio organization part of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting...
television show Opgelicht?! (in English Framed?!) discovered that Singh Varma did not suffer from cancer. Moreover, according to this program, Singh Varma had not fulfilled financial promises to the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n development organization Ninash Foundation, which had put the organization into financial problems.
First Singh Varma denied both claims and sued the journalists. In August 2001 she claimed that she had not suffered from cancer and instead suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after self-fabricated far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
threats and her commitment to the victims of the plane crash in the Bijlmermeer. In 2002 she publicly apologized for her actions. She denied lying on purpose about her diseases and stated that she suffered from delusions and medical condition called pseudologia fantastica. Paul Rosenmöller
Paul Rosenmöller
Paul Rosenmöller is a Dutch television presenter and former politician and trade unionist. Between 1989 and 2003, he was member of the Dutch House of Representatives for GroenLinks .-Biography:...
, political leader of the GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
at the time writes that he felt "cheated and angry" because of her revelations.
Life after politics
After leaving parliament Singh Varma became editor of the People's Newspaper Suriname around 2005. Later she worked in a Surinam deli.External links
- profile on parlement.com Dutch language