Koos Rietkerk
Jacobus "Koos" Gijsbert Rietkerk (born December 14, 1927 in Boskoop , Province of South Holland ; † February 20, 1986 in The Hague ) was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), who among other things was State Secretary between 1971 and 1973 Ministry of Social Affairs in the Biesheuvel cabinet and Minister of the Interior in the first Lubbers cabinet from 1982 until his death in 1986 . As Minister of the Interior, he has been the focus of protests by civil servants over his plans to cut public service incomes.
Life
Lawyer, member of the Second Chamber and State Secretary
After attending the Extended Primary School and the Christelijk Lyceum in Haarlem in 1947, Rietkerk began studying law in the Netherlands at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden , which he graduated in July 1952. During his studies he was involved in the anti-revolutionary student association ARJOS (Anti-revolutionary Jongeren study clubs) . He then took up a part-time work as a lawyer in a law firm in Haarlem on January 28, 1953 , which he held until 1956, and at the same time was a legal employee of the State Emigration Service (Rijks Emigratie Dienst) between 1953 and 1956 . He then moved to the Dutch Association of Municipalities VNG (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten) in 1956 and worked until 1959 as a legal employee of this municipal interest group. From 1959 to February 1967 he was secretary of the Central Social Employers' Association CSWV (Centraal Sociaal Werkgevers Verbond) .
On February 23, 1967, Rietkerk, who had joined the Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD) in 1958 , became a member of the Second Chamber of the States General and was a member of it until July 28, 1971. On July 28, 1971 he was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs (Staatssecretaris van Sociale Zaken) by Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel in his government and held this office until April 23, 1973. In this role, he was responsible in particular for social security and employment. Between January 23 and September 1, 1973 he was again a member of the Second Chamber and during this period between June 19 and September 1, 1973 Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs. On June 8, 1973 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion . After leaving parliament, he worked from September 1, 1973 to September 1, 1974 as social director of the employers' association VNO (Verbond van Nederlandse Ondernemingen) .
Chairman of the VVD parliamentary group and Minister of the Interior
Rietkerk was again a member of the Second Chamber of the States General on September 11, 1974 and was a member of this until November 4, 1982. During this time he was initially a member of the parliamentary group's executive committee between 1974 and 1977 and then from May 26 to December 19, 1977 second secretary of the VVD parliamentary group. After Hans Wiegel had taken over the offices of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister in the first cabinet of Prime Minister Dries van Agt on December 19, 1977 , he replaced him as Chairman of the VVD parliamentary group in the Second Chamber and held this position until May 27 1981. From May 27, 1981 to October 29, 1982, he then held the position of vice-chairman of the VVD parliamentary group. At the same time he was from April 7, 1981 to November 4, 1982 Chairman of the Standing Committee for the Ombudsman and between September 30, 1981 and November 4, 1982 Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Second Chamber for Affairs of the Netherlands Antilles .
On November 4, 1982, Rietkerk was appointed by Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers himself to be Minister of the Interior (Minister van Binnenlandse Zaken) in his first cabinet . In this role, because of his plans to cut public service incomes in 1983, he was at the center of protests by state employees, initiated by the chairman of the public service union Abvakabo FNV (Algemene Bond van Ambtenaren (ABVA) / Katholieke Bond van Overheidspersoneel (KABO)) , Jaap van de Scheur . The protests were under the slogan "Angry at Koos" ('Boos op Koos'). As a minister, he also spoke out against the establishment of a separate urban province of Rijnmond with Rotterdam as a regional city . He died on February 20, 1986 in his office in the Ministry of the Interior, whereupon Justice Minister Frits Korthals Altes took over the office temporarily and Rudolf de Korte took over the office of Minister of the Interior on March 12, 1986.
One of his brothers was Jan Rietkerk , who was Mayor of Genemuiden for the Reformatorische Politieke Federatie (RPF) from 1987 to 2001 , and the uncle of his son Theo Rietkerk , who between 1998 and 2003 was the Christian Democratisch Appèl (CDA) member of the Second Chamber of States General.
Web links
- CV in Parlement & Politiek
- Biography in Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland (online version)
Individual evidence
- ^ Theo Rietkerk in Parlement & Politiek
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rietkerk, Koos |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rietkerk, Jacobus Gijsbert (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch politician (VVD) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 14, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boskoop , South Holland Province |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 20, 1986 |
| Place of death | The hague |