THE HAGUE--Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten is increasing pressure on the Dutch Parliament's Second Chamber to handle draft legislation for the new constitutional relations in the Kingdom. Members of Parliament are not amused.
"Has she gone mad?" asked Member of Parliament (MP) Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP).
"How dare she?" said MP Hero Brinkman of the Party for Freedom PVV.
John Leerdam of the Labour Party PvdA, a member of the Dutch coalition, said it appeared as if the State Secretary was calling Parliament to order. "That is not acceptable," he said.
MP Johan Remkes of the liberal democratic VVD party said he was not impressed by the letter. "The Second Chamber determines its own agenda. It concerns a stack of legislation, and prudence is crucial in this. Parliament is no rubber stamp," he said on Wednesday. Time pressure was no reason for Remkes to hasten the process. "October 10, 2010 is not an invention of Parliament. This date can't be used as a measure," he said.
The reason for the dismayed reactions was a letter Bijleveld-Schouten sent to the Second Chamber on Tuesday, urging Parliament to speed up the handling of legislation. She indicated that she fancied a plenary handling, including voting, in the first week of March, for the first package of draft legislation for the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
To save time, she announced that she would take out the fiscal aspects of the first BES Adaptation Law and add these parts to the BES Fiscal System Implementation Law, so "nothing stands in the way" of handling the Adaptation Law in the first week of March. The fiscal legislation could be handled in April.
Consensus laws
The State Secretary also applied pressure regarding the approval of the several Kingdom consensus laws. She argued that documentation of these law proposals, including the amendment of the Kingdom Charter, had gone to the Second Chamber mid-January. "This means that the package is ready for plenary handling," she stated.
Bijleveld-Schouten objected to handling the two Kingdom consensus legislation packages separately, as suggested by the Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Antillean and Aruban Affairs NAAZ in late January. NAAZ wanted to handle the four Kingdom consensus laws, dealing with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Joint Court of Justice, Police Forces of the new entities and the Council for the Maintenance of Law and Order, in late March.
Undesirable
The Committee wanted to handle the Kingdom consensus laws regulating Financial Supervision, the Governors, and the amendment to the Charter, in early April. That planning didn't suit Bijleveld-Schouten. She noted that the new Antillean Parliament would sit on March 26, and contended that handling the Kingdom consensus laws in two separate packages (late March and early April) was "undesirable."
Because it concerns consensus laws, the Parliaments of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba have a right to participate in the meetings of the Dutch Parliament when these law proposals are being handled. Bijleveld-Schouten urged the Second Chamber to handle the Kingdom consensus laws in one package in the second and third weeks of March, or the third and fourth weeks of that same month.
She further noted that there should be a weekend between the first term of Parliament and the first term of Government, so possible amendments and differences could be discussed with the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Kingdom Council of Ministers. She stressed that voting on these laws should take place soon after handling.
Charter
The State Secretary was especially direct about the legislation to amend the Charter, which is needed to effectuate the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles and to establish the new entities in the Kingdom. This legislation proposal has the longest procedure, as it also has to go through the Parliaments of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.
"That is why handling this law proposal should be given preference. In case you decide to handle this legislation proposal in April, the transition date of October 10, 2010 becomes very unrealistic. You can understand that I consider this highly undesirable," she stated.
Some Members of Parliament responded angrily to the State Secretary's letter. "Where does she get the guts to tell us what to do? Unheard of," said Hero Brinkman.
"This is exactly what we have been warning against. The State Secretary keeps postponing the discussion, and now that it is time, she says it is too late," said Ronald van Raak, who pointed out that it involved complex legislation that would require careful handling. "We will not be pushed around," said Van Raak.
Brinkman agreed that Parliament had its own agenda and wouldn't be rushed. "The State Secretary is holding on to 10-10-10, not Parliament. Apparently she has been counting the days and has concluded that she is not going to make that date. She wants to prevent the Netherlands from getting the blame when this happens," he said.
In trouble
John Leerdam said he understood the State Secretary's action, but added that this was no reason to rush Parliament. "She is starting to get the feeling that she is in trouble with 10-10-10. It is her duty to inform us of the consequences of the planning of Parliament, but she should also blame herself, because she has been late with a number of laws. She was told in all meetings that we prefer prudency above speed," he said.
MP Ineke van Gent of the green left party GroenLinks: "The State Secretary has given her vision of the planning. She has the right to do so. I agree that we have to keep the pace. We will do our best, but we are not going to rush through this."
MP Bas Jan van Bochove of the governing Christian Democratic Party CDA defended the State Secretary's letter. "She merely stressed that there is time pressure and that postponing matters doesn't help the process. The State Secretary is responsible for the process. I have no problem with her pointing out that there is haste. I too have said earlier that we have to proceed with the process," he said, adding that Parliament set its own agenda.
NAAZ Committee Chairman Willibrord van Beek has called an extra meeting for next Tuesday to discuss the State Secretary's letter and to talk about the upcoming trip to Curaçao and St. Maarten (see related story). (Suzanne Koelega)
