“My commitment is to restore order, security and peace,” says Bergkamp. “It should be clear that the priority is to appoint an interim employee now, and this is my commitment and the presidency.” Asked if there’s support for it from the coalition, Bergkamp says he’s curious about the reactions.
No research debate
On Tuesday, a large parliamentary majority rejected a call for a plenary debate on the investigation into former parliament speaker Arib’s alleged cross-border behavior. A decision in this matter rests with the day-to-day management of the Chamber – the presidium – and not with 150 MPs, said D66 party chairman Jan Paternotte, also a member of the House Speaker’s party and presidium chair Vera Bergkamp. D66 also does not want to discuss the design of the survey in the working method committee. “The House of Representatives is not dealing with this and neither is the committee,” Paternotte said. The other three parties in the coalition think so too.
Opposition
The opposition wants to discuss the investigation in committee, and also the letter that the executive sent to the Chamber on Monday. In this letter it is specified, among other things, that the task of delegated commissioning is entrusted to two independent third parties «to avoid conflicts of interest». Initially, this task was assigned to the head of human resources, but this called into question the objectivity of the investigation. This senior official previously said she herself experienced the socially insecure working atmosphere under Arib.
The announced fact-finding investigation continues. It’s too important for that, says the presidium. As the employer of more than six hundred civil servants, the House of Representatives must determine whether there was an unsafe work environment under ARIB.
Wider reach
There’s a good chance the committee members want to broaden the scope of the investigation. A section of the opposition – parties that would rather lose Bergkamp than get rich, such as the PVV – will also want their role to be investigated. In addition to investigating a number of anonymous complaints against Arib, it is also investigating how the employer responded to those anonymous complaints broadly. This concerns the presidium (made up of members of Parliament), the chancellor and the management team.
The committee may also not accept that only a summary of the investigation be sent to the House. The final report is delivered confidentially to the Chancellor and the Presidium.