And now Khadija Arib himself leaves the House of Representatives prematurely

The farewell speech – if Khadija Arib was in her element anywhere in her years as Speaker of the House, it was during the traditional farewell speech for outgoing MPs. Witty, witty and usually also with stern grins towards colleagues who left the House of Representatives prematurely. An insult to the election mandate, Arib thought in most cases. “This makes it no less painful for the House, and especially voters of course, to see another MP leave prematurely,” Arib added two years ago, for example, D66 MP Monica den Boer. Den Boer was, in May 2020, the 26th MP to leave the House of Representatives in the previous term.

Coming up on Tuesday, Arib – if she comes to The Hague – will be confronted for the last time in the House of Representatives, painfully enough by her successor Vera Bergkamp, ​​with whom she has been embroiled in a deep personal and political conflict in recent days. .

Saturday evening announced Arib (59) via Twitter quit after 24 years of membership in parliament. An inevitable decision, she wrote in a moving statement, after what she calls “the attacks on my dignity” and “the (anonymous) stab wounds of the last few days”. “I’m willing to put up with a lot, but each person has their own limit.”

Arabic got away wednesday NRC need to hear that the Presidium of the Chamber of Deputies, led by Bergkamp, ​​had launched an independent investigation into her for allegations of transgressive behavior. The next day, Arib spoke in front of cameras of “a political deal” from Bergkamp, ​​which had won the presidential election in Arib last April. She announced that she did not want to cooperate in the investigation and would continue to hold her position as chairman of the committee preparing the parliamentary inquiry into the crown policy of the previous cabinet.

Lack of support from their own group

In his farewell letter, Arib does not mention Bergkamp by name again, but criticizes the presidency, which, in her opinion, should never have initiated an investigation into an MP in this way. According to Arib, the presidency’s actions “are very damaging to citizens’ confidence in politics, which has already fallen to a low level”.

Arib also complains in his letter about the lack of support from his own PvdA faction. A letter that six opposition MPs sent to Bergkamp on Friday evening on the state of affairs was not signed by PvdA party leader Attje Kuiken or other PvdA members. Arib writes: “It is difficult for me to have members of my group missing from this letter. The latter contributed to my decision. ”Says chick in a statement that the PvdA considered “stronger and purer” “if other groups raised this problem”. Kuiken claims to have informed Arib to substantially support the letter.

Kuiken and group vice president Kati Piri, the people involved in the group say, have been in telephone contact with Arib since Wednesday, but an appointment has not been reached to discuss the matter calmly. The intention was for this to happen on Saturday, but ultimately Arib surprised his colleagues with his letter on Twitter. Chick tweeted that she was “completely surprised” by her decision. What hasn’t helped the image is that few PvdA members have openly taken the name of Arib. Kuiken said in various media that he still has “a lot of questions” for Bergkamp. Henk Nijboer, Arib’s party mate and also a member of the garrison, appeared in front of cameras Thursday to defend the investigation into Arib. Nijboer said the reports were “so serious and serious” that there was only one possible outcome, and that is that they need to be investigated.

“Right” Member of Parliament

With Arib’s departure, investigations into his behavior as Speaker of the House appear to have been suspended and the ‘Corona’ preparatory committee must seek a new president. It was an open secret that Arib, after his non-re-election as president, was only moderately interested in his job as an “ordinary” member of Parliament. She wasn’t very visible, taking part in only a handful of debates over the past year. But she also knew that withdrawing in the meantime was not an option for her, because as Speaker of the House she was so strongly opposed.

Precisely because Arib immediately became politicized and made the matter so personal, the affair will undoubtedly have consequences for his successor Bergkamp. The current Speaker of the House of Representatives is already under fire from some groups because, unlike his predecessor Arib, he is unable to maintain order with authority in derailed debates.

The letter from the parliamentarians – in addition to Leijten, Lilian Marijnissen (SP), Esther Ouwehand (Party for the animals), Caroline van der Plas (BoerBurgerBeweging), Nicki Pouw-Verweij (JA21) and Pieter Omtzigt – say they have concerns or Bergkamp it is still quite capable of “leading the House of Representatives as an institution and protecting its authority.” It is striking that the PS and the Party for the Animals also have a representative in the garrison, who supported the decision to investigate Arib further.

The parliamentarians have a long list of questions about the procedure followed and ask “a clear explanation” in Bergkamp before Monday afternoon. They emphasize that they believe that complaints of transgressive behavior should always be taken seriously, but they want to know, for example, why an external investigation was chosen, why the state lawyer of the government (Pels Rijcken) – and not the parliamentary lawyer permanent (De Brauw). – advice was sought. They also ask for clarification that Arib has not been informed previously. “Doubts about the integrity of the investigation of the reports concern not only safety in the workplace, but also the image of the House of Representatives”.

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