Deputy Gert-Jan Schuinder (BBB) of Agriculture and Culture went through the dust in the Provincial States because of expressions on social media. Those expressions are about things that do not fall under his responsibility as a deputy. Schuinder has apologized and immediately stops posting on social media.
A large part of the opposition falls over two statements that Schuinder made about Wolf-resistant Rasters, military flights at Groningen Airport Eelde, the area process in Geelbroek and honking Truckstar drivers. Schuinder has now deleted the messages.
D66, ChristenUnie, Lijst Pormes, Party for the Animals, SP and Volts fall over Schuinder’s expression “that has long been known that wolf -resistant rasters do not work.” The province subsidizes the purchase of those grids and helps sheep farmers with it in the right way. The Provincial Executive, of which Schuinder is part, recently even increased the available subsidy amount for wolf -resistant rasters.
Training truck drivers who returned from the Truckstar festival at the TT Circuit received a traffic fine. Schuinder wrote on social media that he does not understand why. The left flank of the opposition asked the Provincial Executive whether they think it is desirable that a deputy is about whether or not a traffic fine is justified.
According to D66 party leader Anry Kleine Deters, Schuinder is in this way to the rule of law. Schuinder referred to his time as a 6-year-old boy, standing on the viaduct on the A28, looking at the tauting trucks, and wonders why that is no longer possible. “But I am not that 6-year-old boy anymore.”
Volt, D66, PvdD, SP, GL and CU also fall on the reaction of Schuinder to nature organizations that say their worries at RTV Drenthe about the use of the airport in Eelde by Defense. The nature clubs fear that soon an unlimited number of military planes can use Groningen Airport Eelde.
Schuinder responded: “These five parties are afraid of noise for nature. Say. Will not happen every day, and all those geese are more bothered by that!”. This was against the sore leg of the left opposition. They asked GS the question: “Is this reaction of Schuinder in line with the connecting administrative style that GS wants?”.
Schuinder goes deep through the dust, but tackled all the questions about his social media behavior by coming up with a statement immediately at the start of the States meeting.
“I want to offer my sincere excuse for the image that has arisen about the college through my actions on social media. My expressions may have created the impression that I cannot agree with the coalition agreement or lecture policy. That is explicitly not the case and I want to emphasize that I fully support the coalition agreement.”
“The States members showed me that I was not doing well. No matter how much that does, I am grateful that you have made me aware of that. It has opened my eyes. I realize that I still have to learn in my role as a deputy and that I cannot behave as if I am still a party member.
Renate Zuiker from the Party for the Animals sawed a little further to Schuinders’ chair legs by hinting to his departure, but Schuinder did not shrink.