I am Dutch. I have a Dutch passport, issued to me by the Dutch ambassador in Bangkok. Today, I do not feel proud of my country and people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been invited to speak to Dutch audiences about Buddhism and therefore he will visit the Netherlands on June 4 and 5. It's been 10 years ago that His Holiness visited the Netherlands, thus hundreds of thousands of Buddhists in the Netherlands are happy to have him in their country again.
His visit to the Netherlands coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and it has been over 60 years that Tibet has been annexed by China. Ten years ago, His Holiness was invited by the Dutch Prime Minister Mr Wim Kok who received His Holiness in his private office, but the current Prime Minister, Mr. Jan Peter Balkenende "doesn't feel the need to personally meet the Dalai Lama." The way Jan Peter spoke those words made me completely fall out of love with my country. His words gave me severe shplikes.
His Holiness giggled about being rejected by the Dutch PM, but I felt very frustrated. In my book Pantau in India I wrote that I am a social anarchist. Today, this feeling is stronger than ever. I have never voted for a politician in my life, and if Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende would visit Bangkok one day, and I would meet him during a party at the Embassy, I will put my Buddhist vows on hold for a few seconds and slap him in the face and tell him that he is a very, very bad boy. (Okay that is not good Buddhist behaviour but sometimes bad boys need a good punch in the face). I wouldn't mind if I would go to prison for that for a few weeks. It will be worth it!
.
Jan Peter, I address this to you personally: grow up, be strong, don't let the big boys bully you and get some lasik eye surgery and a different haircut because you look too much like Harry Potter, but without any power. You're just a puppet, kowtowing to Beijing. Not good!
.
It's unheard of in Buddhist societies to put a book on the floor or a precious document. Today I decided to put my Dutch passport on the floor next to my toilet, and it will stay there for the next two days. It's my way of expressing my disappointment in the Dutch government who allows the Chinese government to put pressure on them. Today, I feel highly embarrassed to be Dutch.
There was a time that the Republic of the Netherlands ruled half of the world. Now the Kingdom of the Netherlands is no more than a province of China.
.
I always agree with His Holiness and his views on genuine autonomy for Tibet, and I also agree with the young generation of Tibetans who desire complete independence. So today I wish His Holiness a good time in the Netherlands, and pray together with the young Tibetan freedom fighters in India and Nepal, and around the world, for a Free Tibet. Pho Rangzen (Free Tibet).
Posts
While I agree that The Dutch PM should accord more honors to the Dalai Lama, I feel you are letting this upset you're emotional equilibrium. What sense is there in being upset because someone whom you respect highly is not esteemed by a politician who probably has no deep understanding of Buddhism? Politicians are, by nature, buffoons: look at the last US president!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know me and I never get angry or upset, but when people do something to the Tibetans or Barbra Streisand, something happens to me. It’s like when somebody is beating my children, you know.
ReplyDeleteHeads of states normally meet and greet the Dalai Lama. All the US presidents meet and greet himm including Obama in October, and even George W. a medal in his hands. The German Bundeskanseler loves the Dalai Lama and supports his ideas, so does France's Sarkosy, and many others. It’s what PM's and presidents do. They meet the Dalai Lama en welcome him to their countries. If a country the size of Bangkok that has a PM that get’s more criticized than George W, give in to the threats of China, I get upset. Balkenende doesn’t need to be a Buddhist to meet the Dalai Lama. Meeting him sends a message to Beijing. Meeting and greeting the Dalai Lama shows China that they cannot control other governments. The Dutch have just shown under how much influence they are from Chinese politics. So Holland is a province of China.
Also, last night someone told me that being with Barbra is like having a picnic at the end of a runway. Oy!!!
I just can’t help it, but I am human too and I get upset if people treat those that I love badly.