Taming Chaos

Dutch senior politician Ivo Opstelten said in De Volkskrant that the government should be visible in times of crisis such as the recent terrorist attack on an Amsterdam – Detroit flight. By issuing an official statement, even when little information is available, leaders can reassure people and give confidence. Because Amsterdam was the departure airport of the flight and is regulated and owned by the state of the Netherlands, the Dutch government is a major party in this issue. Opstelten criticizes the Dutch government for being completely absent in the discussion.

I fully agree with Mr. Opstelten. A formal statement saying this was a serious incident that would be fully investigated and that Dutch government would cooperate with any necessary measures would have been enough. It might have reduced the amount of panic caused and, as I suggested earlier, this panic might be worse than the terrorist threat itself.

In May 2002, as the Major of Rotterdam, Opstelten was confronted with the crisis that appeared after the assassination of Pim Fortuyn. I have seen how he handled that crisis: he was not only present, he walked in front of the protestation march hand in hand with those closest to the victim even while it was a very tense situation. I admire him for that and think he is fully entitled to speak now.