Prime Minister Mark Rutte criticized a number of MPs during the debate over the deleted text messages on Thursday. They accused him of deliberately concealing important information. “What is the reason why more and more people stop watching debates on TV? Because it all starts with mistrust. With a very basic feeling that the issue is being packaged and deceived,” Root told the opposition.
Rota has been deleting text messages on his phone for years, and he himself forwarded the most important messages to administrators for archiving. His phone, which has since been replaced by a more modern one, cannot store many messages.
This immediately led to critical reactions from the opposition. Members of Parliament saw a pattern with Rutte that he sees “truth as an option”. They also believe that Rutte is withholding documents that might be causing him problems for as long as possible.
Ruti was tired of those accusations and he showed it. “People no longer have the opportunity to calmly explain something. I also hear it in the Cabinet. We love our work, but discussions in the House are complicated, unpleasant and sometimes things go wrong.”
Lillian Marijnsen (SP), Jesse Claver (GroenLinks) and Geert Wilders (PVV), among others, summed up where things have gone wrong at Rothe in recent years. Profit tax, the Tiffin deal, the bombing of the Iraqi city of Hawija, the memory of the “Job Elsewhere” debate by Peter Umtzigt. In all of those cases, Rota’s memory failed him. Pattern according to these parliamentarians.
“An icon is made because I lie,” said Ruti. “Everything I raise against her is no longer appropriate.” “I also defend my integrity here.” He described members of the opposition wishing to establish a “false” pattern.
“Where did he have the courage?”
It is rare for Ruth to address the house in this way. The prime minister regularly struggles through complex and critical discussions. He often verbally takes sides with political opponents and knows how to keep the atmosphere good and bad, despite violent discussions.
Ruti’s scolding led to angry reactions. For example, Caroline van der Plas (BBB) was speechless. “The prime minister gets in trouble and then gets flipped in a way that MPs ask annoying questions. Really scandalous.”
“My job is to ask questions and monitor the government,” said PvdA leader Etcı Koyken. “I can’t check everything right now because the text messages are no longer there.”
“Where did he have the courage?” Socialist Party leader Lillian Marijnesen wanted to know. “Talk to victims of childcare and gas extraction in Groningen. Then you will hear why trust is waning.”
Rota warns against morality
Van der Plas asked Rutte to retract his words, but the Prime Minister did not worry about that. He preferred to remember what morals were like in the time of Hans Weigl and Jubb den Auil. “There was a discussion of trust and mutual respect. There were intense political discussions of content. What I see now is labels like ‘You are lying’ and ‘You are trying to distort the truth’.”
He says that Rota is not bothered by it. “I think I should have thicker skin and mine. I love my job and I still think it’s great to come to the House.” Finally, he warned against “transformation of values” and “relationships with each other.”
Despite Rutte’s argument, PVV leader Wilders introduced a no-confidence motion with support from SP, JA21, Groep Van Haga, Party for the Animals, FvD, DENK and the BBB. Not a majority, but with 47 seats nearly a third of the House of Representatives.