generaIa
Over 5,000 people rising as one is a unique experience. Queen Beatrix's progress
into the huge hall opposite our Utrecht offices was monitored on giant sereens
for those inside who waited with bated breath.Then she was there - a regal
presence crowning a century of achievement. And it has been an achievement.
What's NewS was there to mark the right royal occasion.
8 What'sNewS Issue 7 July 1
Celebrating
a century
There were speeches, of course - lot's of
them. The morning of the lOOth
General Assembly was pretty much
business as usual. Supervisory board
chairman Wim Meijer talked us through
the business of the day - appointments,
decisions, ratifications. It would be easy to
see this day as a rubber stamp exercise - no
one raised any objections to any proposal
from the platform. But what we should
never forget is that this 'cooperative
parliament' is in fact the culmination of a
year's frequent, organized and broad based
discussion throughout the domestic
organization. Every proposal tabled here
has been thrashed out and formulated in
the very typically Dutch search for
consensus, for action based on agreement.
Prime minister Kok - 'I don't think I am alone
in my scepticism about the prospects of
organizations which believe they need no
strong ties to society...'
The Queen's arrival marked the beginning of the festive part of the
General Assembly. She accepted the first copy of Rabobank's official
history, Het coöperatieve alternatief (The cooperative alternative).
Presenting it, Herman Wijffels remarked 'it is our story, but in essence it
is the story of people. People who lived in poverty and distress, but who
managed to change their lives for the better through self-help and
determination. That is our story.'
