ALMERE // Outside a city hall in the heart of the Netherlands, Ayse Bayrak de Jager's response to the quickening march of the Dutch far right took the form of a short, dignified vigil.
As people entered and left the building, she raised a simple poster bearing the message: "My headscarf, my freedom."
Ms de Jager, a Dutchwoman who converted to Islam 25 years ago, drew comfort from the smiles and thumbs-up from passers-by.
But she knows that among the 187,000 inhabitants of Almere, 30 minutes by rail east of Amsterdam, are plenty who see her as at best a problem, at worst a threat.
This week, in a development that sent shudders down the spines of mainstream politicians, Almere became the first city to choose Geert Wilders's Party for Freedom (PVV) as its majority political force, with 21.6 per cent of the vote.
The PVV - denounced by socialists as a "menace to society" - also did well in The Hague, the seat of government, to become the second largest municipal party. It is tipped in opinion polls to emerge from the forthcoming general election in June as the largest or second largest party.
As the projected local elections results were announced, it was difficult to escape images of Mr Wilders, a distinctive figure with his boyish features and swept-back, platinum-dyed hair, in triumphant mood.
"The national campaign begins today in Almere and The Hague, tomorrow in the Netherlands," Mr Wilders said of his party's advances in the only cities where it had contested seats. "On June 9, we will conquer the Netherlands."
Among Muslims and those who regard him as a fascist, there is deep concern that Mr Wilders, known chiefly for his anti-Islam polemic, could even become prime minister if he succeeded in persuading another party to work with him in coalition.
He has likened the Quran to Hitler's Mein Kampf and faces prosecution for allegedly inciting hatred discrimination. Under one of his best-known policies, women would be banned from wearing headscarves in council offices.
"No one has the right to dress me," said Ms de Jager, 44, an education adviser. "I am a grown woman and should be left to make my own decisions. We are meant to be free in Holland and that should mean being free to choose my own religion and how I observe it.
"Wilders has one agenda - attacking Muslims. If he talks about crime, it's about Muslims as the problem even though Muslims are just as likely as anyone to be its victims."
Not too much should be read into the absence of hostility towards Ms de Jager's protest. Although most people approached randomly by The National in Almere presented themselves as anti-Wilders, the fact remains that one elector in five who voted in the city on Wednesday backed his party.
"The PVV is more or less a fascist party," said Henry Koopman, 65, a pensioner. "As with the far right parties of the UK and elsewhere, people are a little ashamed to say openly they support it. Wilders appeals to emotions most Dutch people have not wanted to acknowledge since the Second World War."
Almere is a new town built on reclaimed land; its first house was not constructed until 1976. Within easy commuting distance of Amsterdam, it was chosen by many as a tranquil alternative to the capital.
But with an influx of immigrants from Tunisia, Turkey, Afghanistan, the Dutch-speaking South American republic of Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean, it is beginning to experience social tension.
Even residents who reject the far right describe their fear of crime and speak of violence between different ethnic groups, though the council stresses that unemployment and crime rates are lower than national averages. Almere's Muslim community is put at about five per cent.
"The PVV wants to bring in police commandos to deal with criminals," said Noeschka Besselink, 28, who works in recruitment. "You could be having an argument with your boyfriend, and the commandos misinterpret it and shoot you in the knees."
Ms Besselink said she might even consider moving from Almere to avoid being in a city where the main political party was one she loathed. "I tell you this: the day they ban the burqa, I will wear it myself as an expression of freedom."
Rick Lemmen, 20, a student of video game design, said his parents voted for the PVV, though he did not. "I think it was mostly because Wilders is something new. But there is also a feeling that when people come to our country they should adapt to our values as we are expected to do in their countries."
The same theme was addressed by Leo van de Akkerm 37, a sports teacher, who has not ruled out voting for the party in June though he wants to know more about its national manifesto. "Our queen took off her shoes when she visited a mosque so it is not so wrong to ask a Muslim lady to remove her head dress."
The Dutch coalition government of the Christian Democrats and Labour collapsed last month in a dispute over whether the Netherlands should keep a reduced military presence in Afghanistan. When the general election is held three months from now, the eyes of conventional parties in other European countries with large Muslim populations and rising support for populist right-wing options will be fixed on the outcome.
Regardless of other issues Mr Wilders might address if he took or shared power, it is his anti-Islamic posturing that sets him apart. At an election rally in Almere, he taunted socialists by saying that if any were present, he would have his speech translated for them into Arabic.
Speaking in deliberately broken English, he summed up the socialist message to immigrants as: "You get nice benefits, we Holland pay everything. In other words: bring over your whole family, because money grows on trees here."
The worry for moderate politicians is that his blunt approach - added to widespread disaffection with government - is clearly winning converts.
"I voted for them because I wanted to give them a chance," said Cor Veerhuis, an IT manager who now works as a taxi driver. "Wilders has a big mouth; now let's see how he puts his words into action."
@Email:crandall@thenational.ae
AIDA%20RETURNS
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SHAITTAN
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Command%20Z
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
