‘I want to make myself obsolete’: the MP fighting for Greenland’s self-governance | Greenland
IThis is not the standard slogan for a newly elected parliamentarian, but Qarsoq Høegh-Dam is determined: if he does his job properly, soon there will be no need for this. “I want to make myself as antiquated as possible,” he said.
Last month, Høegh-Dam, a Greenlandic politician, became the first member of pro-independence Naleraq to be elected to the Danish parliament. The new MP is clear that if all goes as planned, the largely autonomous Arctic region will be the sole responsibility of the parliament in the island’s capital, Nuuk. And the former colonial ruler will no longer need two seats representing Greenland in Copenhagen.
“Greenland and the Greenlandic people will be the responsibility of the Greenlandic parliament and the Greenlandic government. So the primary goal is: If I am no longer relevant, I will succeed,” he said with a laugh.
The Danish general election, in which Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats won the most votes but failed to secure a clear majority, followed one of the most volatile moments in Denmark’s recent history, with Donald Trump threatening to seize control of Greenland.
Trump’s threats to take over the Arctic island reached a dramatic climax in January, and tensions have been so high since then that Denmark has reportedly braced itself for a possible attack from the US by sending blood bags to Greenland and sending explosives to blow up runways. While tensions have eased somewhat, all parties say that the situation has not yet been resolved and negotiations continue.
The geopolitical drama has shed a global light on the relationship and history of Greenland and Denmark.
Eskimos B.C. Modern colonization of Greenland, which appears to have been inhabited since 2,500 BC, began in 1721 with the support of then-Denmark-Norway. During World War II, the region was temporarily occupied by the United States while Denmark was occupied by Germany. In 1953, Greenland became part of the Danish kingdom, and home rule was introduced in 1979. More powers have since been transferred to Greenland, but Copenhagen still retains control of foreign and security policy.
Høegh-Dam warned that the race for control of the Arctic by the world’s superpowers, including the United States, and Russian interest meant Denmark needed to show it was honoring its commitments to the people of Greenland. For example, he said Copenhagen had failed in its responsibilities regarding the maintenance of prison facilities in Greenland.
“Especially in these political climates, it’s a dangerous gamble for Denmark to try to take a small step on Greenland with its own responsibility because other foreign countries could use it,” he said.
While all of Greenland’s political parties support eventual independence, Naleraq, seen as the most Trump-friendly, is also in favor of doing so as soon as possible. But Høegh-Dam also said they want the transition to be as smooth as possible.
“That’s why we’re trying to comply with the law created in the Danish parliament,” he said, referring to the 2009 law granting Greenlandic people the right to self-determination.
Founded in 2014, Naleraq’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. It doubled its seat count in the last elections held in Greenland last year, becoming Inatsisartut’s second largest party., parliament. He refused to join the coalition government and is currently in opposition.
Høegh-Dam comes from a family of Greenlandic politicians. His sister, 29-year-old Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, until recently represented Greenland in the Danish parliament with the Siumut party, and last year switched parties to Naleraq. His late uncle, Thue Christiansen, was in Greenland’s first cabinet and designed the Greenlandic national flag. His cousin Aaja Chemnitz was also a representative in the Danish parliament until the last election. “Of course, politics is a topic discussed at the holiday table, over coffee,” he said. “I hope I can make a small contribution in the same way.”
Last Tuesday, Høegh-Dam and Naaja Nathanielsen, the other Greenlandic lawmaker elected to the Danish parliament, visited Frederiksen, who is currently an interim prime minister trying to form a coalition government. Nathanielsen, who spent five Dr., who has held important ministerial positions in the Greenland government for years.
Nathanielsen said he wanted reform of the 1953 constitution, which was not voted on by Greenlanders and prevented Nuuk from taking responsibility for its own foreign and security policy.
“We have much more self-determination than we did in the 1950s, but there are still some elements where we don’t have access to the information needed and we have limitations on what we can do for ourselves. This is also an indicator of fundamental inequality,” Nathanielsen said. “So if that’s your starting point, if the ground you’re standing on is not a smooth surface, it becomes difficult to have a discussion about anything else.”
He said that although Greenland’s voice in foreign policy has improved significantly, there are “red lines about what Greenland can achieve on its own” under the constitution.
He added: “We really want to push those boundaries because we believe that it is the Greenlandic government that should be making and communicating foreign policy regarding us as it relates to the Arctic. And that is often not the case today.”
Although they come from different parties, the two Greenlandic MPs say they plan to put aside internal differences and work closely together in Copenhagen.
Høegh-Dam emphasized that he was not against a close relationship with Denmark, but wanted Greenland to become a fully independent nation.
“The structure we have now, the postcolonial structure, is not working. And we want to make the most of it,” he said. “The world is changing, but we have become so accustomed to other factors trying to change us that we have become resilient. I believe in the people of Greenland, but at the same time, I really want to believe in the people of Denmark if we have a common future.”
