In the previous weeks it has become quite clear the dispute between prime-minister J.P. Balkenende and –to say the least and leaving many things unsaid- non-conformist politician and member of parliament for the P.V.V. G. Wilders enters a new phase. By stylusPhant

Political debate has been fruitless due to the unsolvable polemic stalemate between- on the one hand-harsh positioning and total lack of interest in and even loathing of any debational constructivism, and on the other hand the rigid denial of an open debate on religion, compulsively clinging on to the avoidance of any polarisation even with abroad fundamentalists, absurdly enough even after Dutch troops have been sent to Afghanistan to help create a democratic society with the standards of Western civilization.

One could hence speak of genuine ex absurdo logic, when Balkenende is trying to defend his opinion that it is preferable that the film –yet to be published – entitled “Fitna” will never see the light of day, in order not to provoke violence against Dutch soldiers, as if their presence itself is not in the least provoking more resentment than anything else, especially with the Taliban.

Equally nonsensical is a moral appeal to the responsibility of the owners of the right to freedom of speech and in a way a call for self-censorship if an opinion is deviating too far from a consensus in wich ironically even abroad fundamentalists seem to have more to say (notably without having to hold back !), when he is clearly avoiding his own responsibility: who else than the prime-minister should at least try to guard the general principle of freedom of speech in his country by defending it with any means in his disposition ? Clearly this is not what J.P. is trying to achieve.

Perhaps this striking lack of valid arguments is accelerating the fore- mentioned new phase of the stalemate: diametrically opposed to the seemingly moralistic aspirations of the Christian Democratic leader, now apparently “all is fair” in the combat against this opponent, too strong and also too difficult to encounter in open debate.

Perhaps inspired by the successfully repressed position of Danish cartoonists, Ayaan Hirshi Ali , Salman Rushdi and other dissidents, Balkenende has now at least achieved something in his benefit for quite some time: by focussing more national and more important international attention to a content not even made public yet than Wilders could ever generate for himself or even wished, he definitely contributed the most to a condition in which an alarming outrage could easily emerge, thus seizing an “opportunity” in a true Machiavellian and very unchristian sense and handing over Wilders –ironically much more like a new Pontius Pilatus than inspired by noble beliefs - to a new fatwa, literally adding an almost deadly blow to a now double outlaw in the international community.

[Copyright text: stylusPhant & Expatica]

[Copyright photo: V&V]

[This article was written by a community member of Expatica.]