It doesn’t matter that it has been flying for about seventeen years now. Some of the inhabitants of Buitenkaag think that the Kaag flag on ‘their territory’ should be replaced as soon as possible by a copy with the coat of arms of Buitenkaag. The villages are separated from each other by the Ringvaart and the provincial border, but have traditionally worked closely together. They still have a joint village council. But the marriage is starting to show more and more cracks.
The Kaag flag is a thorn in the flesh for some of the residents of the neighboring community of Buitenkaag – NH News
For example, a group of Buitenkagers recently established a own village council, according to one of the initiators because the interests of Buitenkaag are systematically subordinated to those of Kaag. “They don’t listen to what the people in Buitenkaag want,” said Benita Verhoef, chairman of the brand new village council of Buitenkaag. “It is mainly about what is going on in Kaag.”
“It feels like occupied territory, it’s not right”
And then there is also the Kaag flag that proudly and, according to some, flutters provocatively on Buitenkaag territory. “It feels like occupied territory”, is how Verhoef describes her feeling. “Of course it is not a comparison with what is happening in Ukraine, but this is not correct.” Several times the joint village council has been asked to fly its own flag, but that has not been honored to date.
Discussion about survey value
According to the drivers of their own village council for Buitenkaag, there is great support for their initiative to split off. “We went all over the village,” says secretary of the Buitenkaagse village council Paulette van den Berk. “We spoke to everyone and left a survey.” When asked whether setting up their own village council is a good idea, no less than sixty-seven percent responded with a ‘yes’, according to the initiators.
“They’re Rioters”
In the meantime, the neighboring community of Kaag is watching developments in Buitenkaag with suspicion. “They are rioters”, says a lady from Kaag who dares to cross the pond to Buitenkaag by car. Her co-driver adds: “They seem to have conducted that survey with a limited number of people. If you choose the right people, you have a hundred percent chance that they agree with you.”
A sound that, according to Buitenkager Verhoef, accurately reflects the relationships between the two communities. “It’s all mistrust,” Verhoef estimates. “They never bothered to look at the survey. The results don’t suit them. That’s why we are scorned and nothing is done with it at all.”
Replacement Buitenkaagse flag is ready
To get out of the impasse and to be able to fly their own flag, the initiators of the Buitenkaagse village council have asked the help of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, which includes Buitenkaag. Meanwhile, the intended replacement for the Kaag flag is ready. “We have asked the municipality of Haarlemmermeer to facilitate us in this,” said secretary van den Berk. “We assume it will be settled soon.”
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