Criticism rains on Boekers-Knol after "heartless" interview on Afghanistan
An interview State Secretary for Justice and Security Ankie Boekers-Knol gave in the AD on Saturday ruffled many feathers. In the interview, Broekers-Knol said that it was not possible to help all the Afghan families. She also stated that bringing all the families to the Netherlands would create a brain drain in Afghanistan.
"If the 23 thousand mails were all sent from individual people and they all want to bring their families - that would be times five according to my calculations - then that would be 100 thousand people," the State Secretary said. "My honest answer is no. We cannot do that."
Members of the coalition party were upset about her calculations. "The real numbers are much lower," CDA MP Derk Boswijk told the AD. He also disagreed with taking over the Taliban's rhetoric about educated people leaving the country and thus, causing a brain drain. "The interview of the Secretary of State only created deception and caused for commotion," Boswijk said.
D66 MP Salima Belhaj had strong words for the State Secretary. "I just have one word: disgusting. I will continue to work hard to bring threatened Afghans here," Belhaj tweeted.
MPs from outside the coalition party were also not pleased with Broeker-Knol's statements. Kati Piri from the PvdA called it a "brainless and heartless interview". "Leaving our Afghan interpreters behind in fear for their lives and then to claim to 'bring a brain drain to Afghanistan'. Sick!" Piri said.
nze Afghaanse tolken in doodsangst achterlaten en dan de uitspraak ‘bezorg Afghanistan geen braindrain’. Ziek
"It does not do a service to Afghans and her office," Marieke Koekkoek from Volt tweeted
The Tweede Kamer has still been waiting on news from the Cabinet about what will happen with the 23 thousand emails in which Afghans pleaded for help from the Dutch government.
