Philomena Bijlhout (born 13 November 1957) is a

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

se-born

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

former politician and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...

. She served as an MP in the Member of the House of Representatives as a member of the

Pim Fortuyn List The Pim Fortuyn List ( nl, Lijst Pim Fortuyn, LPF) was a political party in the Netherlands named after its eponymous founder Pim Fortuyn, a former university professor and political columnist. The party was considered populist, right-wing popul ...

and was briefly State Secretary for Social Affairs, Employment and Equality in the

First Balkenende cabinet The first Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Netherlands government from 22 July 2002 until 27 May 2003. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the nationalistic Pim Fortuyn List (L ...

. Her tenure was notable for being the first female foreign-born and ethnic minority politician to hold the post and the shortest in Dutch political history. Bijlhout has since worked as a broadcaster.

Biography

Bijlhout worked in television broadcasting in Suriname and later in the Netherlands. She was editor-in-chief and a presenter for

RTV Rijnmond Radio + TV Rijmond, usually abbreviated as RTV Rijnmond, is a public broadcast organization for the Rijnmond region of the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Soverei ...

. As a close associate of nationalist politician

Pim Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (; 19 February 1948 – 6 May 2002), was a Dutch politician, author, civil servant, businessman, sociologist and academic who founded the party Pim Fortuyn List (Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF) ...

, in 2002 she was recruited as a candidate for the

(LPF) party. She was elected as a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for the Pim Fortuyn List from 23 May 2002 until 22 July 2002, when she became State Secretary for Social Affairs and Work Opportunity in the

first Balkenende cabinet The first Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Netherlands government from 22 July 2002 until 27 May 2003. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the nationalistic Pim Fortuyn List (L ...

. Bijlhout was the first female ethnic minority politician in the Netherlands to hold the position. However, she resigned a few hours after being appointed, after television channel

RTL 4 RTL 4 (Radio Télévision Luxembourg 4) is a Dutch free-to-air, free-to-cable television channel; it is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. RTL 4 is a general entertainment chan ...

reported that she had been a member of a militia operated by Surinamese military dictator

Dési Bouterse Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse (; born 13 October 1945) is a Surinamese military officer, politician, convicted murderer and drug trafficker who served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020. From 1980 to 1987, he was Suriname's ''de fact ...

from 1982 and 1983. This was during the period when the militia had committed the political murders known as the "

December murders The December murders (Dutch: ''Decembermoorden'') were the murders on 7, 8, and 9 December 1982, of fifteen prominent young Surinamese men who had criticized the military dictatorship then ruling Suriname. Thirteen of these men were arrested on De ...

". Bijlhout, who was born in Suriname, had never denied being part of the militia, but claimed she had left prior to the December murders. She claimed in an interview in ''

de Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

'' that there were no photographs of her in uniform in the militia and that she had left by 1981, but RTL 4 produced a photograph dated 1983 which appeared to show Bijlhout was still an active member. This subsequently triggered her resignation. Her tenure as a state secretary was the shortest in Dutch history. She was succeeded by

Khee Liang Phoa Khee Liang Phoa (Chinese language, Chinese: 潘科良; born May 1955, Rotterdam) is a Dutch former politician, who served as undersecretary for emancipation and family affairs in the first Balkenende cabinet from September 2002 to May 2003. Pho ...

. Bijlhout claimed that when she stood down from the position of State Secretary, LPF leader

Mat Herben Mathieu "Mat" Herben (born 15 July 1952) is a Dutch journalist, civil servant and retired politician of the dissolved Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party and served as leader of the LPF 2003 to 2006. In May 2002, the party of the slain populist Pim Fo ...

had said she was welcome to remain in the House for the party; however, Bijlhout decided to stand down as an MP too, due to the intense media response to the controversy. After retiring from Dutch politics, Bijlhout hosted a travel show in 2004 and worked as a reporter for the Surinamese newspaper ''

De Ware Tijd ''De Ware Tijd'' (English: The True Time) is one of four daily newspapers in Paramaribo, Suriname. , it was the largest-circulation paper in the country, ahead of its rival, ''De West'', and was described as taking a "staunchly independent stance" ...

.'' She later became a social worker in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. In 2008, she published an autobiography ''More than a Day.''

Sources

1957 births Living people Dutch television presenters Female military personnel Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) People from Paramaribo Pim Fortuyn List politicians 21st-century Dutch politicians Surinamese emigrants to the Netherlands Surinamese military personnel State Secretaries for Social Affairs of the Netherlands 21st-century Dutch women politicians Dutch women television presenters {{Netherlands-politician-stub