Jetta Klijnsma
Encyclopedia
Jellejetta Klijnsma (born March 18, 1957 in Hoogeveen
) is a Dutch
politician
. As a member of the Labour Party
(Partij van de Arbeid) she has been an MP since June 17, 2010. She focuses on matters of culture
, senior citizen
s, disabled people and medical ethics
. Previously she was State Secretary
for Social Affairs and Employment
and an alderwoman
of the municipality of The Hague
.
at the University of Groningen
, with a specialization in social history
and economic history
. After graduating she began to work for the Labour Party's parliamentary group. She was assistant to MPs André van der Louw
, Marcel van Dam
and Thijs Wöltgens
.
In 1990 she was elected to the municipal council
of The Hague. In 1998 she became alderwoman for welfare, health and emancipation. After the 2006 municipal elections
she became responsible for culture and finance and also became vice-mayor
. After Wim Deetman
stepped down, she was mayor ad interim of The Hague.
In December 2008 she succeeded fellow Labour Party politician Ahmed Aboutaleb
as State Secretary
for Social Affairs and Employment
in the fourth Balkenende cabinet
. She was State Secretary till February 2010, when the Labour Party left the cabinet.
Klijnsma has a physical handicap. She was born with spastic
legs and only learned how to walk at age thirteen. She has a Calvinist
background but turned non-religious and became a member of the Dutch Humanist League.
Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. As a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
(Partij van de Arbeid) she has been an MP since June 17, 2010. She focuses on matters of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s, disabled people and medical ethics
Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.-History:Historically,...
. Previously she was State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
for Social Affairs and Employment
Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is the Dutch ministry of social affairs: it is occupied with employment, relations between employers and employees, the system of social security, and emancipation...
and an alderwoman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the municipality of The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
Biography
Klijnsma studied historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
, with a specialization in social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
and economic history
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
. After graduating she began to work for the Labour Party's parliamentary group. She was assistant to MPs André van der Louw
André van der Louw
André van der Louw was a Labour Party politician. He served as Mayor of Rotterdam from 1974 to 1981 and served in the Netherlands cabinet Van Agt-2....
, Marcel van Dam
Marcel van Dam
Marcel Parcival Arthur van Dam is a former Dutch politician and television presenter. As a member of the Labour Party he was Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment from 1981 to 1982....
and Thijs Wöltgens
Thijs Wöltgens
Mathias Andreas Marie Wöltgens was a Dutch politician. He served as the mayor of the Kerkrade, a town on the German border in the southeast of the Netherlands, from 1994 until 2000. Wöltgens was also a Senator from 1995 until 2005.Thijs Wöltgens died in Kerkrade on 7 May 2008, at the age of 64 of...
.
In 1990 she was elected to the municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
of The Hague. In 1998 she became alderwoman for welfare, health and emancipation. After the 2006 municipal elections
Dutch municipal elections, 2006
The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on March 7, 2006. About 11.8 million people could vote in 419 municipalities. Due to local redistricting, 15 municipalities have already held elections in January 2006 and 24 municipalities will hold elections in November 2006...
she became responsible for culture and finance and also became vice-mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. After Wim Deetman
Wim Deetman
Willem Joost "Wim" Deetman is a Dutch politician and statesman, former minister of education and mayor of The Hague...
stepped down, she was mayor ad interim of The Hague.
In December 2008 she succeeded fellow Labour Party politician Ahmed Aboutaleb
Ahmed Aboutaleb
Ahmed Aboutaleb is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He has been the Mayor of Rotterdam since January 5, 2009...
as State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
for Social Affairs and Employment
Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is the Dutch ministry of social affairs: it is occupied with employment, relations between employers and employees, the system of social security, and emancipation...
in the fourth Balkenende cabinet
Fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the previous Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties Christian Democratic Appeal , Labour Party , and ChristianUnion . The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet following the 2006 election, and was installed by Queen Beatrix...
. She was State Secretary till February 2010, when the Labour Party left the cabinet.
Klijnsma has a physical handicap. She was born with spastic
Spasticity
Spasticity is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance in muscle tone involving hypertonia, which is also referred to as an unusual "tightness" of muscles...
legs and only learned how to walk at age thirteen. She has a Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
background but turned non-religious and became a member of the Dutch Humanist League.