Dialogue2020 (D20) - From Debate To Dialogue
Dialogue2020 (D20) - From Debate To Dialogue
The Issue
Call To Action
to every human being in the world who is concerned about the serious devaluation of democracy.
Dear Citizen,
this appeal is addressed to you by a fellow citizen who has served the public good all her life; formerly as a naval officer, award winning government official, Member of the Dutch Parliament - on this day 10 years ago - and now as a social entrepreneur. I have a sense of precariousness regarding some phenomena in parliamentary democracy. That is why I left Dutch politics at the time. Also realising that participating in politics is not enough to bring about democratic innovations.
I am not a politician, maybe never have been. At this stage I even don’t want to be one. What I share with you here is not a crafty political manifesto. It is a rough presentation of my opinion about the causes of the malaise and my ideas about improvement.
I believe that our polity is functioning sadly. The political game still has to be played according to rules dating back to the last century. Those rules have been drawn up for a society that cannot be compared to ours. After all, the turbulent developments in our 21st century have profoundly changed our societies worldwide. But rulers and parliament still have to work with the codes of a bygone era. In recent years, the bitter consequences of this have been occurring with increasing frequency. And we see this in countries around the globe - from Europe to the United States of America.
Can I speak of a serious devaluation? I believe so. And I am very concerned about that. Because it is likely that many people share my concerns, I have written these words. Its aim is to mobilise the prevailing concern to potentially spark a movement that can give our form of government new vital content.
More than ever, we must admit that there is a serious lack of human connection in politics. More than ever, we long for politics that create understanding and effective solutions to social issues. Politics that people trust. Politics that bring people closer together. It is time to replace the debate - the battle of monologues - with dialogue.
Dialogue means human connection. Dialogue means listening not hearing, thinking beyond thoughts and speaking with awareness of the power of words.
Think about it for a moment. What would an election look like if politicians didn't verbally attack each other? What if they don't want you to vote for them because they claim to be different from their opponents? When politicians seek understanding and embrace learning? If there is not only a discussion about topics and who has the best answer, but also about the way people communicate. Form and content are two equal pillars of democracy.
What can you do with this proposal? I have been thinking about that for a long time, with in mind the worldwide unrest in general and the upcoming Dutch general elections in March 2021 in particular. One could form a pressure group and develop activities. However, the hope that this will work effectively can only be a very fragile one. First, because the established political parties are struggling to maintain the current constellation, for fear of losing votes. Secondly, because experience has taught us the painful fate of minority groups.
Nevertheless is my conclusion that the best way to really exert pressure in the Netherlands is to reset the political leadership within my own party D66, that carries D of democrats in its name title. In stead of setting up a new party that could be called Dialogue 2020 (D20) - since that would mean just another splinter party to negate the democratic functioning of the House of Representatives. Looking back shows that democratic renewal is the very reason why D66 was founded in 1966. Understandably, little remains of these principles on the way to power. It is time to restore these fundamentals. D20 could become the name of an election campaign. However, that is a matter for later.
Fellow Citizen in any country, I invite you to sign this petition. As the number and importance of the reactions that reach me justify this, I will explore the next steps to take. Obviously, I am aware that your adhesion statement cannot be based solely on these words. However, I would urge you not to get lost in this detailed problems that politicians and political parties have been struggling for so long and often uselessly for years.
The main thing now, at this stage, is that you recognise with me the need for our democracy and its politics to be renewed so that it can operate sincerely, unifying, decisive and efficient.
Yours faithfully,
Wassila Hachchi
Founder of DIALOGUEE & Dialogue Digital Foundation
- based in Amsterdam, serving world wide
June 10, 2020
Hacking Politics initiators, conscious creators and rebels:
Lukas Zillmer, Tobias Pieper, Wesley Tax, Wassila Hachchi, Machiel Monninkhof, Bianca de Jong, Natasha de Jong, Areeq Chowdhurry, Bart Mijland, Kitty Knibbe, Sandra de Gelder, Aida Kruize, Catherine Bournival, Bart van der Meer, Martijn Deijl
Powered by Dialogue Digital Foundation
60
The Issue
Call To Action
to every human being in the world who is concerned about the serious devaluation of democracy.
Dear Citizen,
this appeal is addressed to you by a fellow citizen who has served the public good all her life; formerly as a naval officer, award winning government official, Member of the Dutch Parliament - on this day 10 years ago - and now as a social entrepreneur. I have a sense of precariousness regarding some phenomena in parliamentary democracy. That is why I left Dutch politics at the time. Also realising that participating in politics is not enough to bring about democratic innovations.
I am not a politician, maybe never have been. At this stage I even don’t want to be one. What I share with you here is not a crafty political manifesto. It is a rough presentation of my opinion about the causes of the malaise and my ideas about improvement.
I believe that our polity is functioning sadly. The political game still has to be played according to rules dating back to the last century. Those rules have been drawn up for a society that cannot be compared to ours. After all, the turbulent developments in our 21st century have profoundly changed our societies worldwide. But rulers and parliament still have to work with the codes of a bygone era. In recent years, the bitter consequences of this have been occurring with increasing frequency. And we see this in countries around the globe - from Europe to the United States of America.
Can I speak of a serious devaluation? I believe so. And I am very concerned about that. Because it is likely that many people share my concerns, I have written these words. Its aim is to mobilise the prevailing concern to potentially spark a movement that can give our form of government new vital content.
More than ever, we must admit that there is a serious lack of human connection in politics. More than ever, we long for politics that create understanding and effective solutions to social issues. Politics that people trust. Politics that bring people closer together. It is time to replace the debate - the battle of monologues - with dialogue.
Dialogue means human connection. Dialogue means listening not hearing, thinking beyond thoughts and speaking with awareness of the power of words.
Think about it for a moment. What would an election look like if politicians didn't verbally attack each other? What if they don't want you to vote for them because they claim to be different from their opponents? When politicians seek understanding and embrace learning? If there is not only a discussion about topics and who has the best answer, but also about the way people communicate. Form and content are two equal pillars of democracy.
What can you do with this proposal? I have been thinking about that for a long time, with in mind the worldwide unrest in general and the upcoming Dutch general elections in March 2021 in particular. One could form a pressure group and develop activities. However, the hope that this will work effectively can only be a very fragile one. First, because the established political parties are struggling to maintain the current constellation, for fear of losing votes. Secondly, because experience has taught us the painful fate of minority groups.
Nevertheless is my conclusion that the best way to really exert pressure in the Netherlands is to reset the political leadership within my own party D66, that carries D of democrats in its name title. In stead of setting up a new party that could be called Dialogue 2020 (D20) - since that would mean just another splinter party to negate the democratic functioning of the House of Representatives. Looking back shows that democratic renewal is the very reason why D66 was founded in 1966. Understandably, little remains of these principles on the way to power. It is time to restore these fundamentals. D20 could become the name of an election campaign. However, that is a matter for later.
Fellow Citizen in any country, I invite you to sign this petition. As the number and importance of the reactions that reach me justify this, I will explore the next steps to take. Obviously, I am aware that your adhesion statement cannot be based solely on these words. However, I would urge you not to get lost in this detailed problems that politicians and political parties have been struggling for so long and often uselessly for years.
The main thing now, at this stage, is that you recognise with me the need for our democracy and its politics to be renewed so that it can operate sincerely, unifying, decisive and efficient.
Yours faithfully,
Wassila Hachchi
Founder of DIALOGUEE & Dialogue Digital Foundation
- based in Amsterdam, serving world wide
June 10, 2020
Hacking Politics initiators, conscious creators and rebels:
Lukas Zillmer, Tobias Pieper, Wesley Tax, Wassila Hachchi, Machiel Monninkhof, Bianca de Jong, Natasha de Jong, Areeq Chowdhurry, Bart Mijland, Kitty Knibbe, Sandra de Gelder, Aida Kruize, Catherine Bournival, Bart van der Meer, Martijn Deijl
Powered by Dialogue Digital Foundation
60
Petition created on April 5, 2018