seshat's blog post - Politicians, a letter

I received a letter today from two members of the Brussels parliament (from a French speaking political party), concerning a proposal they have with regards to the green areas and roads in Brussels. It was stamped on the outside "do not throw this away before reading it, this is not election propaganda", less than a month from regional elections. I sent the following e-mail in reply, in Dutch AND French:

"Dear members of the Parliament,

I just read your letter concerning the "green arteries" in Brussels. Firstly, I found it quite amusing that apparently this isn't "election propaganda", but that's not the main reason of my e-mail. What surprised me the most was that this letter was sent only in French. You ask the remarks and suggestions of the population, but perhaps you have forgotten that Brussels is bilingual? Or maybe you are only interested in what the French speaking population has to say, because they could potentially vote for you, and the Dutch speaking population probably not? Or is there another, valid, reason? I hope you realise that both French speaking and Dutch speaking people in Brussels have the right to be adressed in their mother tongue.

Sincerely"

This is the first time I've ever addressed a politician, and I'm far from a "Flemish/Dutch minded" person, but I have my rights, and they've been disrespected one too many times.