A mentally disabled man running for a seat in Ghent's City Council has split public opinion in the city. Some say all people are equal, while sceptics say the story takes political correctness and tolerance in the city to the limit. Candidate Didier Peleman, 41, admits he has difficulties in speaking and writing, but says his condition should be no obstacle to a political career. Adopted by the Flemish Christian Democrats Party, he is hoping to get the desired seat.
“I've been active in community work for 11 years. Our party's slogan is “Everyone is included” so I want to be given the chance to be councilor, to express myself and help people with disabilities,” Peleman said. He says he wants to encourage voluntary social work and make the city more “accessible” to people with handicaps by promoting the use of “simple language”.
YouTube link.
“This is just a signal to the people in Ghent: also people with disabilities can run for elections,” says the Head of the Flemish Christian Democrats Party, Veli Yuksel. “They are in our community, they are here in Ghent. We cannot ignore them.” But some see the Christian Democrats Party’s move as inappropriate. “If he's physically disabled it's not ridiculous, but he has mental disabilities so that's another question, he may have problems with reasoning,” one Ghent resident said.
“I think he's not capable of making decisions for other people. I do voluntary work myself with mentally disabled people. I've got a lot of respect for them, but they have to realize themselves that they are not able to do everything,” another shared. Other Ghent residents consider it nothing more than a publicity stunt. Didier is well aware of the criticism, but he believes the energetic campaign he has spent leaves it for the voters to decide whether he is capable of governing people who are a little different from himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment