Mayor Balthazaar should protect the Kingdom!
By Samitha Hettige
Balthasar Bekker (1634 – 1698) was a Dutch
politician & a theological author known for opposing superstition &
ending witchcraft in early modern Europe. Among his famous work is ‘The World Bewitched (1695)’. New mayor Ms. Balthazaar is expected
end corruption & wrong doings in the Colombo Municipal Council during her
term. One might assume that her ancestors were either genetically linked to the Dutch or must have changed their name to
‘Balthazaar’ during Dutch rule (1658 – 1796) or after. Balthazar de Moucheron (1552–1630)
was a Dutch trader/ ship owner who co-founded the Dutch East India Company
(VoC) to boost trading with India, America, west coast of Africa &
especially the Far East (Ref. Dutch history). Some Sri Lankans may recall the
craze to find/produce ‘VoC’ memorabilia & export them especially to
Netherlands in the 1980s.
Mayor to President to Mayor.
The Hague is the administrative centre of Netherlands where
the International Criminal Court (ICC) is functioning. Former President of
Philippines Rodrigo Duterte who is detained there following an arrest warrant
by the ICC over his "war on drugs" was elected mayor in his home city ‘Davao’ by a
landslide in May 2025 despite the detention by the ICC (Ref. Media). He had been the mayor of Davao for 22
years before being elected President in 2016. His youngest son, Sebastian (incumbent mayor was
declared vice mayor) & eldest son, Paolo, was reelected as a member of the
House of Representatives. Two of his grandsons also have won local government
seats & his daughter Sara is considered a strong contender for the 2028
presidential race. Rodrigo was marked bad by the west (especially USA) when he
announced Manila’s wish to distance from its one time Colonizer USA in 2016.
However, analysts view that Philippine aligning with China’s Belt & Road
Initiative to achieve sustainable development goals has kept him in people’s
good books. Sri Lankans critical on ‘Nepotism’ might find it difficult to understand
this development.
Opportunities for
the new Mayor.
Ms. Balthazaar as Mayor will have never before
opportunities especially with the Colombo Port City. As in the case of Egypt’s
new capital built with Chinese support, Colombo Port City can be the best tool
to resolve many conflicts with employment generation, tourism development &
investor attraction etc. If she & her team utilize China’s Belt & Road
to help national cause by up lifting Colombo city, satisfied citizens may
analyze her name as explained in ‘Akkadian’ language.
"Bel-shar-uzur," meaning "Bel protects the king". ‘Bel’
or ‘Baal’ was a Babylonian deity associated with protection (Ref. Britanica
& Persian history).
