Amsterdam votes | Dunya van der Linde (LEF): “We advocate the creation of a rave island”
The municipal elections are just around the corner. For this series, Folia is speaking with various UvA students who are standing for election in Amsterdam on 18 March. Today: Dunya van der Linde (22) of youth party LEF. “A new perspective on young people is truly important to me.”
Why should UvA students in Amsterdam vote for you?
“Because I’m right at the heart of their world. I’m a true Amsterdam student. My friends are here, I go out here, and I work in Amsterdam’s hospitality sector, so I understand very well how the city functions and I see the problems students are dealing with. For example, I focus on students’ mental health, because I see people around me struggling with all the pressures placed on their shoulders. Studying, finding housing, making ends meet: it causes a great deal of stress. That’s why a new perspective on young people is truly important to me.”
“I also believe the municipality needs to do more to create affordable housing. Everyone knows the phenomenon of the Amsterdam ‘shoebox flat’ in De Pijp, which you still end up paying a thousand euros for. That simply isn’t acceptable. More housing for young people and seniors needs to be built so that mobility within the housing market can be improved.”
In your party programme, I see that nightlife should be recognised as a basic necessity. Why is that so important?
“Going out is often stigmatised and associated with drinking, smoking and lack of sleep: all the things your parents tell you not to do. But it also has many positive aspects. You meet new people, form social connections, step outside your bubble, and while dancing you’re also getting plenty of exercise.”
“That’s why LEF advocates the creation of a rave island: a place in the city you could go to at any time, day or night, to go out. An enclosed location that causes no disturbance, with space for music, dancing and new DJ talent. The name may sound playful, but the point is that there should be a place where people can come together. We also took this plan out onto the streets, and received incredibly positive responses.”
Dunya van der Linde (22) is currently in the final year of her Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Astronomy at the UvA and the VU. She was born in Amsterdam and now lives in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. In the municipal elections, she is listed in sixth place for youth party LEF.
Also interesting for students: LEF wants to abolish the youth minimum wage. Is that realistic?
“I do think the idea is very realistic. It’s strange that you only really count from the age of twenty-one, when you finally receive a normal salary. Our neighbouring countries don’t do this at all. I believe an eighteen-year-old has the same right to fair pay as someone who is twenty-one. The only thing that should matter is how well you do your job. When I was eighteen myself and I was earning much less than people who were only three years older, I really had to struggle. You want to study, live independently and pay high prices, yet you earn less simply because you’re younger.”
“I know the youth minimum wage was originally introduced to encourage young people to continue their education, and I understand where that idea came from at the time, but I no longer see it as something that fits today. I think many young people want to continue studying anyway, and in my view the youth minimum wage is actually demotivating.”
