myand a parade of ministerial hopefuls passed Richard van Zwol on Tuesday. The new leaders of the Schoof cabinet must make it clear in personal conversations with the trainer that there are no objections to their participation in the national government, but in the meantime the VVD’s complaints about the elections of Geert Wilders remain audible.
Party prominent Tjibbe Joustra already joined the chorus of critics earlier this week. The former president of the Dutch Security Council has “a slight feeling of LPF” from the PVV ministers, Reinette Klever (Foreign Trade and Development Aid) and Marjolein Faber (Asylum and Migration), who visited Van Zwol on Tuesday, as he told NPO Radio1.
Joustra especially sees the candidacy of the intransigent Faber, who previously considered immigration as a covert “repopulation” strategy, as a risk. “If you are going to play minister that way, if you have to do something in Brussels that way and if you have to motivate officials that way, then it seems to me that that is asking for trouble.” .’
Population theories
VVD Breda board member Colinda Weterings-Dijkstal, speaking in her personal capacity, looks “with a stomachache” at the upcoming appointment of PVV minister Klever, who dismisses refugees as spreaders of disease.
‘She becomes Development Aid Minister, without realizing that we can also limit the influx of asylum seekers by ensuring people have a better life elsewhere. In addition, Klever is also a member of the board of directors of the ON station, which does not hesitate to spread theories about the population. The good people delegated by the VVD will soon sit in the Trêves Hall next to openly racist people; I can’t say it any other way.
Previously, several local VVD directors also expressed their discontent. ADVERTISEMENT about the hardliners Wilders delegates to the cabinet. According to Weterings, “against my better judgment” there was perhaps hope that the PVV leader would approach more outside officials. ‘But of course we knew that his rolodex isn’t that thick. The VVD has a strong sense of responsibility. Drawing a clear line is also part of that sense of responsibility and I miss that now.”
Agema Flower
Former VVD deputy Ton Elias also has “major concerns” about the composition of the cabinet. In his opinion, Dilan Yesilgöz should not have accepted Faber as Minister of Asylum and Migration on Friday after the crisis meeting. ‘If you first say someone doesn’t fit the role, you can’t just move on. Then you’ll have to finish it too.’
According to the former VVD deputy, who had no principled objections to cooperation with the PVV after the elections, his party should have imposed tougher conditions at the start of the negotiations. ‘They should have said: we are going to ensure that no unconstitutional nonsense is included in a coalition agreement and that there is a decent team of ministers on the platform. And if that doesn’t work, we just don’t do it. They should never have reached the agreement that parties cannot veto each other’s candidates.’
If it had been up to Elias, Fleur Agema’s name as deputy prime minister would have been cancelled. ‘If the Prime Minister is abroad and there is a kidnapping or MH17 goes down, Agema must be the first replacement in the Netherlands. We will have someone as deputy prime minister who will not be able to handle that. She is completely incapable of holding that position. The members of the PVV also think the same.’
Own responsibility
At the VVD summit in The Hague it was heard that a conscious decision was made to hold the coalition parties themselves responsible for the elections of their ministers. If things go wrong, it is a problem for the party in question. Ultimately, the reasoning goes, Wilders, who has never invested in a management network in recent years, should be held responsible for his own personnel policy.
Yesilgöz also hinted as much to the NOS on Tuesday. According to the VVD leader, the “practice” will show how the PVV’s options develop, especially in the important Asylum portfolio. ‘I have expressed my concerns. It is now up to Mr Wilders and Mrs Faber to do something about it.’
Not everyone in Yesilgöz’s party believes that the VVD will emerge unscathed from the collaboration with the PVV. It is feared that a possible failure of the Schoof cabinet will also affect the VVD. However, Yesilgöz seems to be getting the benefit of the doubt from most critics for the moment. There may be complaints and concern, but there is not enough enthusiasm to call a general membership meeting before the Schoof cabinet begins. Also in the VVD, practice will have to demonstrate how a cabinet with PVV hardliners will work for the party.
