Piet van ‘t Wout (86):’ If I am elected, I will sit there ‘| Weirdon

The big question is whether he – who came from the West 16 years ago – has a chance of being elected in the upcoming municipal elections. He is now in 18th place, with probably only seven places to be reserved. But it did not bother him, he says happily. “I’m pushing the party list, so I have to rely on preference votes. But, if I’ve elected, I will sit there. Naturally.”

The aspiring councilor has a history abroad. He was born in Alphen aan de Rijn, went to high school, was in various jobs, had to be hired and trained as a police officer.

That diploma took him to the other side of the world in 1960. New Guinea. “I was employed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in foreign regions.” He talks about the western part of the island. It was a colonial remnant by the Netherlands until 1962. Under pressure from the United States and the United Nations, the Netherlands handed it over. In recent years, Van Wood has been an inspector at the police station there. “Until they give it to me, I return to the Netherlands.”

There he got a job in the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, and will remain there until he retires. He later lived in Harlem. Van’t Wout: “I was very busy there and I wanted to go to the eastern part of the country. I was looking for an apartment and found one in Wheeler. I found more warmth and humanity there.

Others have to campaign for the upcoming election because Van’t Wood is no longer in good shape. Although he proudly reports: “I still live completely free and have not taken any medication. Who can say that at this age? ”

In the new election manifesto, his main attraction is to involve the community in politics. “This is very important, otherwise there will be no democracy. This is very important for newcomers, which is why I have been in the party for so long.