ANPTheo Meijer (middle) during one of the survey interviews
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 10:56
Former CDA MP Theo Meijer passed away at the age of 76 in his hometown of Uden. Meijer was best known as chairman of the parliamentary committee of inquiry that investigated the Bijlmer disaster. In 1992, an Israeli cargo plane crashed into the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam, killing at least 43 people.
In the aftermath of the disaster, there were many questions and ambiguities, which eventually led to a survey in 1998 and 1999. Member of Parliament Meijer, until then relatively unknown, became chairman of the committee that conducted the investigation. The survey received a lot of media attention (the interrogations were broadcast live on TV) and Meijer quickly became a well-known Dutch person. His questioning style was characterized as calm, but tenacious.
Critical Conclusions
In 1999, the committee concluded, among other things, that the recovery of the crashed Boeing had been careless. And although a direct relationship between the disaster and health problems could not be demonstrated, according to the committee, the government should have taken these complaints more seriously. The Meijer Committee of Inquiry was also very critical of the way in which the cabinet had informed the Lower House about the aftermath of the disaster.
In his time as a Member of Parliament (1996-2003), Meijer also served as agricultural spokesperson for the Christian Democratic Party (CDA). After leaving the Chamber, he became chairman of the Product Boards for Agriculture, Animal Feed and Wine. When he retired as a Member of Parliament, he said in an interview: “I concentrated on the political handiwork to be able to mean something to society and tried to get majorities for my views. No heroic deeds, but that was not the goal either.”
2023-08-17 08:56:40
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