Speaker of the House of Representatives Vera Bergkamp (D66) must provide clarity before Monday afternoon about the investigation into possible cross-border behavior by her predecessor Khadija Arib (PvdA). That demand comes from the four opposition factions SP, Party for the Animals, BBB and the independent MP Pieter Omtzigt, so report various media. The quartet is very critical of Bergkamp’s approach to the issue. They want the chairman to answer their questions before 1 p.m. on Monday.
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The opposition groups believe that the reporting about Arib “affects the prestige of the House of Representatives”. Wednesday night revealed NRC about an investigation into the PvdA Member of Parliament, about her actions during the presidency. PvdA MP Henk Nijboer also voted in favor of that investigation. Two anonymous letters had arrived at the presidency of the House of Representatives about “abuse of power” and a “reign of terror” when Arib chaired parliament.
SP member Renske Leijten stated that Bergkamp had to report the leak into Arib’s investigation. According to Leijten, the course of events had ensured that the PvdA member was unable to defend itself. It is unique that the executive committee of the House of Representatives – consisting of eight parliamentarians and the chairman – is investigating the former chairman. Arib held that role between 2016 and 2021. She would have liked to be chairman for longer, but received fewer votes from Bergkamp. Afterwards, Arib again became a Member of Parliament for the PvdA faction.
‘Political reckoning’
Arib himself was horrified at the news. She declined to cooperate with the investigation. “Vera Bergkamp is not my employer,” she said, among other things. She also considered the issue a “political reckoning” and called the investigation “a charade.” Bergkamp acknowledged that Arib did not NRC could have found out about the affair, but remains behind the investigation itself. The D66 chairman does not think that she has “stabbed Arib in the back” by opening an investigation.
Bergkamp has been under fire for some time from part of the House of Representatives. According to several MPs, she too often fails to keep parliament in line and intervenes too late or not if parliamentarians express themselves insulting or threatening. When FVD leader Thierry Baudet recently suggested that Minister Sigrid Kaag (Finance, D66) would have been trained as a spy, the entire cabinet resigned in protest. Bergkamp subsequently withdrew Baudet from speaking in the plenary hall because he refused to take back his allegations.
This week the House debated parliamentary rules of conduct. It discussed, among other things, how the chairman should respond to threats in the plenary hall. A decision on this has not yet been made. Next week, the House will discuss a proposal from D66 and ChristenUnie to intervene in the event of threatening language.