THE HAGUE–Members of the Dutch Christian Union (CU) party have initiated a petition to get Member of the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber Cynthia Ortega-Martijn a spot on the candidates list for the September 12 elections. The party board and the selection committee decided last week that Curaçao-born Ortega-Martijn would not placed on the draft slate, while she had made herself available for a next term in Parliament. The party board had placed her at number eight during the last elections in 2010. Members blocked this and voted during a congress in favour of placing her at number five. Consequently, Ortega-Martijn was able to stay on in the Second Chamber, of which she has been a member since 2006.
Because party members are unable to move her up on the list, because she is not on it, they have started a petition to get her a spot on the slate so the congress can decide on June 30 whether to still place her in an eligible spot. On the Website www.petities24.com/steun_kamerlid_cynthia_ortega_martijn it states that Ortega-Martijn was and remains one of the most important representatives of Christian migrants, particularly for residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, who can participate in the Second Chamber elections for the first time. “She is especially sympathetic towards the weaker ones in society, whether they live in the islands or The Netherlands, are active at social workplaces in The Netherlands or are unemployed or have debts. We want to keep her know-how for the Christian Union.”
