His grandfather was powerless against the government, now Jan Struijs fights from power for victims of government failure

The book was celebrated in Rotterdam on Wednesday The missing father from brand new Member of Parliament Jan Struijs (50Plus). In the book he reconstructs the war past of his grandfather Jan Albert Struijs, who rebelled against German-minded officers on a ship of the Rotterdam Lloyd during the war. The symposium The little person against great injusticeon Wednesday connected that family history with the experiences of those present who have themselves been disadvantaged by the government, including victims of the Benefits Affair.

A week ago, Struijs took the oath in the House of Representatives, together with 149 other MPs. His party 50Plus returned to the House of Representatives with two seats after a four-year absence. A day later, Struijs, former chairman of the Dutch Police Union, delivered his maiden speech – “without paper, straight from the heart”. He talked about how he grew up with the stories of his two grandfathers. One of them resisted pro-German officers at sea, was imprisoned and spent years in Japanese camps. “Then you understand what democracy means to me.”

The concealed past

During the symposium, Struijs will talk about how his grandfather’s history shaped his view of power and injustice. He had a close bond with Jan Albert, but felt that he harbored a secret. “He kept silent about his past, but at night we heard him screaming,” says Struijs. When his grandfather died in 1982, his silence went with him to the grave. Years later, as a detective, Struijs did everything he could to find out the truth.

His search reconstructs a journey that began in 1939, when his grandfather sailed as a sailor from Rotterdam to the Dutch East Indies. On board, grandfather Struijs and his friend Gerard van Calmhout rebel against two German-minded officers. When they hear that Rotterdam has been bombed off the coast of Sumatra, they refuse to accept “pro-German authority” any longer. It results in skirmishes: Van Calmhout is shot dead, Struijs’ grandfather is imprisoned and later transferred to Japanese camps, where he is tortured for three and a half years.

What really bothers Jan Struijs, he says, is that there was never recognition from Lloyd or the Dutch government. “The state placed more value on the statement of officers than on that of someone with a lower rank. That is why it has always remained silent.”

From victim to controller of power

Now that Struijs is a Member of Parliament himself, he sees it as his task to critically monitor those in power. “My grandfather was not believed because he had no authority. I actually want to question those in power.”

In a speech during the symposium, Rotterdam mayor Carola Schouten emphasizes how recognition of suffering is directly related to trust in the government. “It starts with daring to admit that you make mistakes. Too often the government sees a file, not a person.”

Ombudsman Marianne van den Anker points out the importance of apologies. “You receive a letter from Mark Rutte, but in the meantime you are sent from counter to counter. It starts with distrust and ends with mistrust. But it is important that it is said at the highest level: ‘we did wrong’.”

For Struijs, looking after those affected by government policy is a political priority. In his first week in Parliament, more than eighty lobby groups were already on his doorstep, “from clubs that want to get the elderly to smoke again to worse.” His starting point: “I first look back, at victims and people, before I talk to institutions.”

A friend who traveled with Struijs to Indonesia to investigate his grandfather says the symposium has given him more confidence in politics. “There is at least one person I trust.”

Give a gift





Part





Email the editor