The media reports that GOA’s coalition is about to collapse, before Monday.
Insiders report, in hushed tones, that the situation is ‘delicate.’
On Monday, GOA would require the coalition’s 11 votes to renew the President of Parliament’s term. As a mepista he voted against same sex marriage, and a Raiz parliamentarian already signaled she would withdraw her support, in retaliation, against the unfit man, thus the hoopla.
Again personalities seem to win over principles.
Party leader Ursell Arends might still open her eyes to the fact that Raiz, after two years of close cooperation with the majority party, some says too close, is making progress.
It started a much-needed taxi reform; it exposed the hair-raising corruption by former minister Chris Romero, who allegedly granted 164 added taxi licenses one day before elections in 2021, in his last day in office, now in court, titled the KWIHI file. The same allegation said that one single party supporter was granted 96 of them.
Finally after more than two years the RAIZ ministers are doing important work, and MEP, their coalition-partners might be happy to sit back and watch them pull their own plug, because Misha Raymond, threatened to withhold her vote, knocking Edgar Vrolijk, off his seat.
In principle MEP could offer another person for President. Vrolijk hasn’t exactly been great at curbing rude and crude parliamentarian conduct. But it will be seen as a weakness.
Misha Raymond could realize the error of her ways and vote with the rest of the coalition, just the way she voted for the mysterious Eagle LNG contract and the introduction of BBO at the border. But it will be seen as a weakness. (Meanwhile we hear the vote could also lose the support of another RAIZ parliamentarian, Raymond Kamperveen.)
And that’s where it is good to remember that principles should always come ahead of personalities, which means that the decision making should be based on values, and core beliefs instead of being influenced by emotions and the silliness of individual people.
(Ridiculous for a government collapse over just one grudge.)
To remain in government RAIZ must ask itself what its priorities are and set egos aside, focus on goals. Then it gets to finish some of the work it started.
As far as MEP is concerned, GOA is three years old, and if it’s going to implode, now is a good time. Three months to campaign until the elections in December, then party-hearty for the end of the year festivities, then Carnival. We have no time for politics during Carnival. Six months from now, work could slowly resume with the new/old GOA, and all painful issues on the docket will have to wait for the refreshed crew.
Best of all, the new Dutch State Secretary that signals he wants action, will have to hold his horses for six months, as interim GOA shrugs, it can do nothing until March/April 2025.
This tempest in a tea pot is a symptom of the same issues we’ve had since 1986. A large party, forming a coalition with a smaller party. Then over four years, sometimes less, undermines everything the smaller partner tries to do, and empties it of content. The smaller party afraid to use its power loses credibility and evaporates.
MEP is expert at destroying its coalition partners. They show up hand in hand at the beginning of the term and end up in divorce court later.
Government here must be reformed, simplified, with much less ministers, half the number of parliamentarians. This will reduce the complexity and the overhead, give us more value and result in a proper system of country management.
