THE HAGUE - The newly formed D66 parliamentary faction has appointed Heera Dijk as its spokesperson for Kingdom Relations — a role she calls a “birthday gift,” as she celebrates her 46th birthday today.

Dijk secured her seat in the Dutch House of Representatives last Wednesday, ranking 18th on the D66 candidate list. Her party emerged as one of the biggest winners in the election, capturing 26 seats. D66 also received the majority of votes from the Dutch Caribbean territories — Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, and Saba.

During her interviews with the party’s selection committee earlier this year, Dijk expressed her interest in handling the Kingdom Relations portfolio. “I’m very happy to take on the Kingdom Relations file,” she said. “The islands are an integral part of our Kingdom, and I see it as my responsibility to help build sustainable cooperation and create more opportunities across all parts of the Kingdom. With my roots in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, this feels like a tremendous honor. I feel proud — just like my family and friends from the Caribbean islands — that I get to do this.”

Heera Dijk will take her seat in the House of Representatives for the first time on November 12.