Controversy: A misplaced “hello” divides Belgium
Is politeness a bad thing? Whatever the case, according to the Belgian law of 18 July 1966: "it is". At least if the greeting is in the wrong language, in the wrong place, on the train. A sad controversy.
In Belgium, there are linguistic laws, including that of 18 July 1966 (which is to say how current it is) on the use of languages in administrative matters. And they apply on trains. Thus, tourists are often surprised to see their train attendant, who speaks French on departure, become Dutch-speaking on arrival. Indeed, on a train line between Charleroi in Wallonia and Antwerp in Flanders, that passes through Brussels, announcements must be made in the following manner: in French between Charleroi and the linguistic border with Flanders where Dutch is the norm, then bilingual (french and Dutch) in the Brussels region, before switching back to Dutch once in the territory of Vilvoorde, up to Antwerp. And it's the same for the railway worker in the cab, he will receive instructions in the languages specific to the region crossed, one of which is German-speaking (a little cherry on the federal cake).
Overly bilingual inspector
And bam! A conductor didn't revise his geography, and when approaching Vilvoorde, after leaving Brussels, he entered a carriage saying "Goeiemorgen-Bonjour". Ouch, he said "Bonjour", all smiles, in the compartment while being in Flemish territory. In any case, the politeness intended for French-speaking passengers didn't please a slightly Flemish user who filed a complaint. However, it was not an announcement over the microphone where the use of languages is particularly regulated. Restrictive procedures that even the SNCB/NMBS (the national railway company) would like to simplify "so that our train conductors can concentrate mainly on their work".
This is not an announcement
As explained by the escort guilty of inappropriate bilingualism Ilyas Alba, who is very popular on social media networks where he has a fun page on Facebook: "I said "Goeiemorgen-Bonjour" when entering the train just before arriving in Vilvoorde [...] which is not an announcement and isn't illegal." He adds: "An announcement in French in Vilvoorde is prohibited if it's not also made in Dutch, German and English. On the other hand, greeting all passengers with a simple "Goiemorgen - Bonjour" isn't prohibited. That is what I did and what I denounce." Pure surrealism!
Political controversy
Of course, this complaint and its echo in the press have fuelled the controversy between politicians from the south of the country such as the resigning Minister of Mobility, Georges Gilkinet and those from the north such as the president of the Flemish centre-right party CD&V, Sammy Mahdi. A ping-pong game. Gilkinet said: "In a territory as small as Belgium, our trains run on the same route from Antwerp to Charleroi or from Liège to Ostend, via Brussels. In addition, we can be pleased that many tourists, particularly French and Dutch, use the train to go to Bruges or Dinant. It makes little sense, among other things, from a commercial point of view, not to inform them in the language they understand."
Fear!
Mahdi’s replied: “My deepest sympathy for this train conductor who certainly had good intentions, but as a public authority, we cannot just throw our language legislation overboard like that.” The CD&V president believes that relaxing the rules is a disincentive to learn Dutch for new arrivals in Flanders. He probably imagines that a wave of Walloons regularly take the train with weapons and baggage to settle in Flanders, no doubt lured by its wealth. However, we are talking about travellers, citizens, tourists – sometimes foreigners – making the effort to take the train, perhaps to visit a Flemish city and discover its gems. Or even French-speaking Belgians who have had the (crazy?) desire to spend their Walloon money in Flemish shops. Unless for that too, they have to express themselves only in the appropriate language? What image do we want to give of Belgium with such rules in a territory where we sometimes change region 4 to 5 times in less than 100km? A little goodwill and tolerance would be welcome in a country where a large part of the population understands a common language: English.
(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Sources: HLN, DHNet, L’Avenir, SudInfo, Le Soir – Picture: © SNCB - NMBS)