Gert-Jan Segers’ idea for the De Jonge case

This week, Thursday, the House is debating Sywert van Lienden’s face mask deal, and the parties foresee a difficult day for Hugo de Jonge (Wonen, CDA). Under constitutional law, Minister Conny Helder (Medical Care, VVD) is responsible for the case: she speaks on behalf of the cabinet, De Jonge is absent. But now that the PVV wants to give up confidence in De Jonge after de Volkskrant Apps about his involvement, many groups expect that De Jonge will be brought to the House under duress after all. And then, they reason, any outcome is conceivable.

Nevertheless, this is a surprising scenario from a parliamentary point of view. Because what the deal with Van Lienden also shows is that the House has debated a lot about corona since 2020, but has checked little. For new facts about that mouth cap deal, parliament had still de Volkskrant or Follow the Money necessary† So now that the House wants to return to that issue, you can also think: isn’t checking much better than debating again?

The opportunity is there. Already in 2013 launched Gert-Jan Segers (ChristenUnie) – then a member of the opposition, now a leading coalition politician – proposed the idea of ​​parliamentary interrogation, in which “stakeholders will be questioned under oath in the short term”. His proposal was adopted by a large majority at the time; only the VVD was against.

Segers argued that a parliamentary inquiry requires years of preparation, and that the House only needs hearing can hear those involved under oath about current controversies, following the British and American example. It took a while before all the formalities were settled, but since 2016 the House has the instrument.

And in this matter, that is of course ideal. De Volkskrant alleging that he “actively interfered” with the Sywert deal from De Jonge’s app traffic, De Jonge denounced the newspaper’s “suggestions”, and hid further behind his successor and an ongoing investigation (which continues to be postponed).

And for all the questions this raises is by far the best solution, especially now that De Jonge himself has responded: bring him to a room next week, put sharp MPs in front of it, and grill him – what about? Don’t rely on what he says, check what he says. That’s how they do it in all real countries.

Moreover: this would give the cabinet new impetus and a new administrative culture, but much of what we see now smells very much like ancient tricks from The Hague: word play, playing on time and naming Stef Blok.

Sun hearing is also easy for the opposition to enforce. The coalition is almost ready to go. Because you do not expect Gert-Jan Segers to vote against a proposal that fits exactly in the plan that he easily passed the House in 2013.