Lilianne Ploumen has said goodbye to the House of Representatives ‘filled with melancholy’. She unexpectedly resigned last week as party leader of the PvdA.
In her farewell letter to the MPs, the Maastricht woman said that ‘not hard enough’ can be taken against threats from representatives of the people.
Threats
“The many threats to representatives of the people are unacceptable. It affects those who are threatened in the first place, but through them it affects all of us. In order to carry out our office properly and conscientiously, we must be able to be close to the people whom we represent,” said Ploumen.
Also read: Lilianne Ploumen stops as MP and PvdA leader
‘Not an ideal leader’
Ploumen is leaving because she says she is ‘not the ideal leader’ of the Social Democrats. “I think that a former political leader should make room and that is why I am also saying goodbye to the House of Representatives.” She spent more than 1800 days in the House of Representatives and was Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the previous cabinet.
To check
She called on the parties to continue to monitor power closely. “The power must deliver when the parliament demands it. And if the power dips too often or even systematically in some files, then it deserves the perseverance of this parliament,” said Ploumen. The House is losing a ‘clear vote’, said House President Vera Bergkamp.
Also read: PvdA surprised by Ploumen’s decision to leave