ANP
Niko Koffeman, co-founder of the Party for the Animals and faction leader in the Senate, wants the investigation into alleged integrity violations by party leader Esther Ouwehand to continue. Koffeman chimes in News hour not to choose a side in the argument between Ouwehand and the board, but does criticize the working methods of the faction chairman.
According to Koffeman, the innovation within the party is in danger of being reversed “if the party leader wants to take all the power back to himself”.
Fuss
Last Saturday, the board decided not to nominate Ouwehand as party leader. The reason for this was “recent reports of integrity violations”. The decision led to enormous commotion among the party’s rank and file. Local PvdD politicians lost confidence in the board and most party employees also continued to support Ouwehand. MP Leonie Vestering decided to leave the House of Representatives with immediate effect due to the party crisis.
“Solely because of the fuss”, the board decided on Wednesday to resign and to put Ouwehand on the list of candidates for the House of Representatives elections as party leader. But the directors emphasize that they still do not think Ouwehand has enough integrity to become party leader.
Integrity violations
Koffeman says he does not know what those integrity violations were. However, he says he is upset about the recent revelation of News hour, which showed that Ouwehand had drawn up a plan to get rid of a board member.
According to Koffeman, the letter that Ouwehand sent, in which she stated that “the board is holding back the development of the party”, is also a strategy that does not suit the party. “The moment you send an email in one mighty move, which you know will be in the newspaper the next day, and say that the founders of the party have too much influence on the board, then you are throwing people under the bus. .”
The document showed that an Ouwehand employee had drawn up a plan with ‘next steps’ to remove a board member from the party. According to Ouwehand, the woman in question had told ‘lies’ about her and the party board refused to intervene. The document proposes far-reaching actions. Ouwehand confirmed News hour the authenticity of the document.
“I don’t think it is ethical to make a plan of attack to smear the board,” says Koffeman. “This is a board of people who voluntarily made the party great in addition to their work. You should not make unjustified reproaches to that board and in this sense Ouwehand has done so.”
Research
And so, according to Koffeman, it is important that the investigation into Ouwehand continues, despite the forced departure of the board. “When the board has knowledge of the matter and does not consider it responsible to nominate someone, then you have to take it seriously.”
When asked whether he is not choosing the board’s side, Koffeman responds that that is not the case. “I am not distancing myself from Ouwehand. I think she is a great Member of Parliament. But I believe that she should have stood up for the ideals of our party together with the board, and I regret that that did not happen.”
Koffeman compares the situation to a bus driver who sees all the red lights flashing on his dashboard and decides to stop the bus, but all passengers demand that he continue. “It seems very unwise to me to pretend that we did not see those lights flashing. It is important that this is investigated.”
2023-09-13 20:32:57
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