To the front page

11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

2008 Archive

2007 Archive

2006 Archive

2005 Archive

'Zuidoost is like Volendam'

2 July 2008 - Roy Ristie is involved in all kinds of things - 'including keeping my fingers crossed for the Dutch team'. However, he did not attend the official slavery remembrance at the Oosterpark. "I haven't yet reached that point in my personal development".

Last week, News from Amsterdam wrote that there seems to be reconciliation between the remembrance at the Oosterpark and its 'radical little brother' at the Surinameplein. 'Was there some kind of war? Not that I know', says Ristie, who also distances himself from the term 'radical'.

The two remembrances do have very different basic principles, says Ristie, who was one of the initiators of the Surinameplein remembrance.

At the Oosterpark, the history of slavery is being remembered. The term suggests that this era has been closed, says Ristie, and that is premature in his view. "I haven't yet reached that point in my personal development where I can participate in a yearly remembrance of something that's finished".

For example, the Surinamese and Antilleans are still considered foreigners, whereas they are Dutch, he says. It stings that they still have a disadvantaged position in society.

The Zuidoost District is often associated with affairs involving conflicts of interest among politicians. "Zuidoost is like Volendam, a village where everybody's related", Ristie says. "The bank manager is also a volunteer for the Volendam Run".

According to Ristie, the difference is that in Zuidoost, such relations will often be called clientelism. "What's seen as a lobby elsewhere, will here be called favouritism".

Criticism on politics in Zuidoost often targets the PvdA. However, according to Ristie, this has no negative impact on the support for the party: people would feel stronger solidarity with the party because of what they perceive as attacks from the outside.

However, he does think the PvdA may loose support because it is not as open to other people's contributions as it should be.

Ristie thinks he could create a breakthrough by creating his own movement and stand for office, but he is not planning to do so. "It may flatter my ego if many people vote for me, but then I'd have to give up my free role".

What is more, he does not think highly of the powers of the district administration: in the end, they are 'social workers with a political function'.

Want to receive News from Amsterdam? Click here