Harmen Krul

Biography

“Be a voice for the voiceless”

It was at the early age of 22 that I became a councillor in Den Helder. I was still in the military at the time, because I wanted to make a difference for people who were unable to stand up for themselves. I realised that being a politician is much the same: you help people and serve as a voice for the voiceless.

Community

In an ideal world, we would not leave all problems for the market or the government to solve, but would empower society to fix them. It’s what I call community politics: putting people and society first. I am eager to represent the interests of people from underrepresented regions and I think it is really important to have more young MPs under the age of 30.

Sacrifices

You cannot be an MP without making sacrifices. I was forced to miss my son’s first birthday, and it will not be the last sacrifice that my family and I have to make. To do this job, you desperately need your family’s support. I do not have much time for hobbies other than reading. I am a certified diver and love playing football, but those hobbies will have to wait for now!

Impatient

I am quite young, and I have found that the young people nowadays are more impatient and unrestrained than their predecessors, and that they tend to speak their mind. I have also found that these are particularly useful traits to have in a political group. When I was still a naval officer, communication was more direct and work had to be done quickly and effectively. I miss that mindset at times: you definitely need to be more patient in politics.