Kim Putters says politicians still haven’t bridged the gap between citizens. The director of the Office of Social and Cultural Planning (SCP) is saying goodbye today.
Putters was director of SCP for nine years. He remembers his first day at work very well. In the interview, Putters said: “I had a special first day at work. I was in the hospital after I encountered a revolving door made of glass. So I could immediately experience what the care is like.” NOS Radio 1 NewsI
The most influential Dutch people
His influence during his time at the SCP is evident from the fact that in 2019 and 2020 he was named most influential Dutchman by the Volkskrant for two years in a row. “Putters knows this company inside and out. In his position and many ancillary positions, a member of the PvdA can be found in the highest circles, in the cabinet and in the royal family,” wrote de Volkskrant in 2019.
Meanwhile, according to Putters, “not even that much” has changed in the country. “We have known for a long time that there is great inequality of opportunity in our country, that the differences between groups are important. But due to the two-year corona crisis, they have become much more visible.”
When he took over as director, he set himself some goals. One was to keep in mind the human dimension of politics. “Is the government reasoning enough from the people’s point of view? Could it be better, could it be simpler and where did it go wrong? I wanted to keep my heart rate up all the time.”
Difference
The director explains that there is a group in society that is “much less easy to follow, finds a job more easily, has a shorter life expectancy and has fewer educational opportunities”.
He thinks this is not because this group works less hard, but because they have primary school boards or live in poverty. “We see that there are all kinds of well-intentioned policies to close the gap between those who do well and those who don’t. But it still doesn’t work.”
“Politicians have long thought that social divisions weren’t so bad after all,” says Putters:
Source: NOS
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