Ten years ago a political murder was committed in the Netherlands that was not allowed to be called that. D66 politician Els Borst was stabbed to death in her garage by an opponent of the right to euthanasia, which Borst had campaigned for as Minister of Health. The documentary The legacy of Els Borst (NPO 2) puts it succinctly: the woman who had fought for a dignified end herself died in a degrading manner.
Why couldn't it be called political murder? According to the documentary, D66 did not want this out of respect for the family and not to give the impression that the party wanted to make a profit. Furthermore, Borst had been away from politics for some time. What is not mentioned is the aftermath: the police only later revealed that Els Borst had been murdered, and only a few years later did the killer reveal his motive. Furthermore, the man appeared to be mentally disturbed. So it was in any case an atypical political murder.
What probably also played a role was that a political murder did not suit that wise, older lady who was so loved. Former D66 leader Alexander Pechtold says in the documentary: “You can hardly have anything against Els Borst, can you?”
Most of this beautiful documentary by Pamela Sturhoofd and Jessica van Tijn is about her achievements. “She had a masterful ethical compass,” says one interviewee, “but she also knew how to get things done.” Els Borst successfully fought for the right to abortion and euthanasia, against smoking, and she helped HIV patients with life-saving medicines. A woman with HIV speaks, who would no longer have lived without Borst's decisive action. Borst had a tailwind, she ended up in the two Purple cabinets that used the prosperous 1990s to complete the liberal wish list.
Voice against
To The legacy of Els Borst not to make it entirely a saint's life, the makers also asked former PvdA politician Rob Oudkerk. He clashed with Borst during the Bijlmer disaster survey because of her refusal to conduct a large-scale study into residents' health complaints. She felt that such an investigation was pointless. Oudkerk thought she should have listened more carefully to the dissatisfaction in the Bijlmer. He lacked empathy at Borst, he says now. He found her stiff, politically harried. He was the only PvdA member to support a motion of censure against her. Just as there is no dissenting voice when listing her merits, you would like to hear a defense from Borst here. For example, she only became a minister two years after the disaster. And since when is Rob Oudkerk considered a moral compass?
Purple is a long time ago. Why is a documentary about Els Borst relevant now? Pechtold and director Van Tijn were in a talk show Sophie & Jeroen to draw the lines to now. They pointed out that achievements such as the right to abortion and euthanasia can never be taken for granted. They missed people in politics like Els Borst who stand for these kinds of rights. Furthermore, Borst showed what politics can actively contribute to a better society, while the politics of The Hague today seem so paralyzed.
Above all, they wanted to emphasize that the murder of Els Borst was a political murder. They want to draw attention to the fact that many politicians nowadays need to be protected, that the political business has become irresponsibly hardened. Van Tijn mainly wants to say with her portrait: “Never sit back.”
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