Marrakech - Franck Keller, a French UMP Counselor for Neuilly-sur-Seine, may regret his comments on Twitter regarding Najat Vallaud-Bellakcem, the Minister of Education, on 31 August.
"What assets [has she] used to convince Hollande to appoint her to a large department" he tweeted. He removed the post, but not before screen captures were taken and several outraged tweets reacted against his comments. In an interview, he said he condemned sexism and racism. His comments were not kind to President Hollande either. Najat Vallaud Belkacem wants to force Twitter to remove hate speech. Perhaps now she might get her chance.
Pourquoi avoir supprimé votre tweet @keller_franck ? On n'assume plus ? pic.twitter.com/zCvIiadWqY
— Lucie B. (@LucieBacon) August 31, 2014
In fact, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem is a French Moroccan politician well qualified for her ministerial position. Born in Bni Chiker in Nador, Morocco, in 1982 she moved with her family to France and settled in Amiens. She completed her education at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in 2002. She married Boris Vallaud in 2005. She joined the Socialist Party in 2002, and worked for the mayor of Lyon in 2003 on social issues. Elected to the Regional Council of Rhone-Alpes in 2004, she chaired the Culture Commission, resigning in 2008. In 2005, she became an adviser for the Socialist Party.
In February 2007, she worked for Ségolène Royal’s as a spokesperson. President François Hollande appointed her as Minister of Women’s Rights and Government spokeswoman in May 2012. She was recently appointed as Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research in the new cabinet of Manuel Valls, who said that “Myriam El Khomri (State Secretary to the Minister for Urban Affairs, Youth and Sports, Responsible for Urban Policy) and Najat Belkacem represent the diversity, the reality, and the strength of France.”
More than that, they represent the thousands of young Moroccans who have made their lives in France, taking French citizenship. They attend major French universities, have passed the necessary French exams, and worked hard gaining the necessary experience to attain high office and being elected to top positions, as Najat Vallaud-Belokacem’s exemplary career and remarkable achievements at the age of 36 show. She is one of many who deserve better from their fellow Frenchmen. There is a clear prejudice against women and young people who are successful in France. Reactionary elements in France should stand by the Republic’s principles of "Freedom, equality, brotherhood" for a fairer society.
It is by individual enterprise, rather than State bureaucracy giving jobs to unproductive officials, that France’s wilting economy will be saved. The Socialist government may not have the answers to the economic problems, but it has adhered to the principles of promoting young people and women in their government, and this is to their credit.
Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP