THE HAGUE--The sudden departure of Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Wassila Hachchi of the Democratic Party D66 last week continued to be a source of discussion in the Netherlands. Hachchi stated on Monday she was sorry about the commotion.
“The decision to leave Dutch politics was due to a personal, positive choice to contribute to Clinton’s campaign and learn from international politics,” said 36-year-old Hachchi, who was a member of the Second Chamber’s Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations, in a statement on Monday.
Hachchi further stated that she would stop claiming the special benefits for jobless Members of Parliament (wachtgeld) “as soon as she signs a job contract.” Last week when she resigned, Hachchi had indicated she would move to the United States (US) to work for Hilary Clinton’s election campaign. It is still unknown what kind of work she will be doing in Clinton’s team.
Via Twitter, Hachchi stated on Monday that she was now in New York. “I very much regret the commotion. That was not the intention.” She stated that she had a telephone conversation with D66 Leader Alexander Pechtold. No details were released about that conversation.
Hachchi surprised fellow Members of Parliament and her party with the announcement that she was quitting Dutch politics and immediately raised questions about how she would finance her new role. Members of the Second Chamber are entitled to unemployment benefits of 80 per cent of their salary for the first year, followed by 70 per cent for 26 months.
Following her departure, Hachchi disappeared from the radar and was unavailable for colleagues and press. She was not present at her farewell in Parliament on Wednesday either. It wasn’t until Saturday that she posted her letter of resignation online. According to reports, she was ill at home, recovering from a serious dog bite which left her arm injured.
The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Saturday published an interview with President of the Second Chamber Khadija Arib in which she stated that it would be “good for herself and for Parliament” if Hachchi provided details on her motivations to resign. “The issue should not be left hanging in the air. That is regrettable,” Arib said in the newspaper.
In her resignation letter to Arib, Hachchi referred to her membership of the Second Chamber as a “special period of my life” during which she learned a lot. D66 Leader Pechtold stated last week that he respected Hachchi’s decision. “I thank Wassila for her work for D66 in the past years.” He said Hachchi was especially involved in the Committee for Defence and for the Kingdom Relations. “I wish her all the best for the future.”
Hachchi’s successor, Salima Belhaj, will be sworn in today, Tuesday. Belhaj was the leader of the D66 party in the Rotterdam Municipal Council. Hachchi had been a Member of the Second Chamber for five-and-a-half years, since June 2010. She was well-liked in the Dutch Caribbean because she always stood up for the islands.
