GroenLinks will not agree with the Temporary COVID-19 Measures Act, better known as the Corona Act or the Corona Speed Act. According to GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver, the law sidelined the House of Representatives and gives ministers Hugo de Jonge (Public Health) and Ferd Grapperhaus (Justice and Security) the power to drastically restrict freedoms without the approval of the parliament.
“This law makes it possible for the cabinet to govern by decree. As the law currently stands, GroenLinks will vote against”, Klaver told NU.nl. “As a parliament, we cannot let this happen.”
At the moment, the corona rules are enshrined in local emergency ordinances, but critics point out that the emergency measures are not intended for a longer period of time. In addition, the presidents of the security regions are promulgating the regulations, which means that there is no democratic control of municipal councils and parliament.
The cabinet is therefore coming up with a bill that must enshrine the corona rules by law. But lawyers and protesters, among others, criticize that proposal.
Last Friday, a mixed group was once again on the Malieveld to demonstrate against the corona speed law. In addition to conspiracy thinkers who attacked Member of Parliament Pieter Omtzigt, Klaver also saw protesters who are genuinely concerned about the power that the cabinet is getting with the corona law.
“I don’t really have much good to say about the virus madmen, because I think they spread misinformation and that is dangerous. But most people who oppose the emergency law are not virus madmen. They are right-minded citizens who don’t want a minister. gets so much power without control of parliament. “
“I think the questions they ask are justified and we have to debate that as politicians. They see full planes flying to holiday destinations, while the theaters have to keep their doors closed.”
Then as a cabinet you can say: we are relaxing the rules for the cultural sector and then we will be rid of the protests against the emergency law.
“That is not enough. The law is really not well put together. The minister can restrict fundamental rights without approval from parliament. Yes, in order to combat the virus, fundamental rights can be curtailed. I am just saying that this must be done through the parliament. As the law is now, GroenLinks will therefore vote against. “
What you call government by decree means that with the corona law the minister can quickly take measures to intervene with a so-called ministerial regulation. Given the need to act quickly, the cabinet says that this is better than a legislative process in which the House will only cause delay.
“In the corona crisis, but also in other crises, parliament has acted in unison and has shown that it can act very quickly. Not long ago, this parliament discussed a support package of 50 billion euros in three hours. That is unprecedented, but it was necessary. To pretend as a minister you cannot govern because parliament would get in the way is really nonsense. “
The cabinet says it wants to give parliament precisely that democratic role with the corona law. The corona rules are not democratic now, because they are regulated by local emergency regulations outside the municipal councils and parliament.
“It is constantly said that the cabinet is doing this to strengthen democracy, but parliament is not given a role.”
“Almost all lawyers say that there is now no good legal basis for radical corona rules, because an emergency ordinance must be short-lived. But the power that the minister is given in this law to restrict fundamental rights at his own discretion does not fit in a parliamentary democracy.”
“I think that the longer the corona crisis lasts, the more the parliament should be included in the measures that the cabinet wants to take, instead of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Hugo de Jonge announcing them through a press conference. It is also important for the government. support that all arguments are exchanged in an open debate. “
Rutte seemed to be reaching out to this group last Tuesday by saying that there is not one truth in the approach to the corona virus and that he is willing to listen to all the criticism. Why is that signal not enough?
“It is not about the prime minister just saying that the cabinet hears every signal. I think people need a longer-term perspective. That perspective is not there. The strategy seems to be that the cabinet is waiting for a vaccine. If that will not happen, then we have to focus on a treatment method. “
“But what if that fails or takes longer than we estimate? What is the plan for the coming months? How do we organize society?”
The cabinet expects a vaccine in early 2021 and until then says: ‘Hold on and keep to the rules.’ Do you think that is not enough?
“I also hope that we will then have a vaccine, but we also have to think about the scenario in which that unexpectedly does not work. Then I think you should move towards a test society.”
“That requires that we have to test on a much larger scale and much faster to make it possible to do a little bit normally again.”
“Isn’t it strange that the Tour de France can cycle around and the footballers can be tested every three days, but that this is not possible in education or healthcare?”
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