Young NIMD
Text size
How to disagree without becoming disagreeable
On Tuesday 22 May 2007 the Dutch political youth branches visited NIMD to learn more about NIMD’s democratisation work around the world.
At the initiative of Young NIMD some twenty members of political youth organisations participated in a discussion with NIMD Director Roel von Meijenfeldt. On the principle that "you can disagree without becoming disagreeable" NIMD works to encourage politicians with different - and sometimes opposing - political agendas to find areas of mutual understanding and a common ground for working together in the national interest.
One Yong NIMD member who visited the youth branches of political parties in Ghana in October 2006 gave a clear example of this principle. The Dutch were asked how they could travel together although they belong to different parties? "We agree to disagree and then we go out and have a drink together."
On 13 June 2007 YIMD will host a lecture about democratisation processes around the world by Mr Karim Knio, lecturer in Politics at the Institute for Social Studies.
