Former Speaker of the House and PvdA member Khadija Arib leaves the House of Representatives without saying goodbye. She confirmed this to the NOS after reporting from The Telegraph. She also does not write a farewell letter that can be read by Chamber President Vera Bergkamp (D66), as is usual. She does, however, send an email this week in which she officially cancels her membership.
Also read: Under acclaimed Chamber President Khadija Arib, one official after another snapped
Arib has been in the House of Representatives since 1998, a period of 24 years. She was chairman from 2016 to 2021. During that period she received praise for the way in which she managed to steer the debates in the right direction. At the end of September, officials had a different picture of Arib, when via NRC leaked that the Presidium of the Chamber had launched an investigation into the transgressive behavior of Arib during her presidency. This is based on two anonymous letters with reports of abuse of power and intimidation.
After hearing the news through the media, 62-year-old Arib announced her departure from the Chamber, citing “the anonymous dagger thrusts” as the reason. PvdA party chairman Attje Kuiken stated that he had been “totally surprised” by Arib’s decision. According to her, her departure was “not necessary”.
reign of terror
Confidential documents and conversations that NRC at the beginning of October, with 32 directly involved parties, confirmed the image of a ‘reign of terror’ by Arib during her work as President of the Chamber. She would have deliberately ignored, belittled and isolated people. She was also able to humiliate civil servants in front of colleagues by criticizing them for their professional qualities. Arib did not respond to the allegations at the time.
It is not yet clear who will succeed Arib as Member of Parliament. Former Member of Parliament Gijs van Dijk, who was apologized last week from the party top for the “careless” handling of an investigation into alleged transgressive behaviour, would be allowed to take the seat. According to the PvdA, he does not intend to, so that a replacement must be looked into further.