• Jorn Junker

  Political reporter

There has been widespread pressure that the new government will not swear in Keti Kuti’s team of ministers. Participants in the new government were considering leaving the Cabinet on the podium that day, July 1.

Members of the outgoing government and Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema, among others, have contacted the architects of the new government, such as Prime Minister Schoof. They urged that the swearing-in ceremony should not be performed during Keti Kuti, the day that commemorates the abolition of slavery.

There was great irritation between the members of the Council of Ministers and the mayor, so much so that the founders of the new government considered this date to be the date for the landing of the new ministerial team. Sources informed NOS about this.

Several sources also say that the king made contact over the coincidence of taking the oath and Keti Kuti. It is not clear exactly what was said there. Palace sources deny that the king has explicitly announced that the constitutional oath should not take place on July 1.

Within the outgoing government, it seems that the new coalition seems to be taking the matter less seriously than they do. Once the coordinator and Schoff decided that the swearing-in could not take place on July 1, the prime minister-in-waiting came to the press and said why they had chosen July 2: “July 1 is Tiki-eh… This is not going well.” Schoff’s failure to name the celebration is significant, according to those involved in the outgoing government.

In terms of formation, it seems that Kete Kuti was always seen as an obstacle to being sworn in on July 1, but July 2 was also not ideal due to the House’s agenda. That’s why July 1 was initially considered.

There was already a lot of tension surrounding Speaker Bosma’s scheduled arrival to attend the National Slavery Remembrance, which is now off the table, but that’s also been happening in the background. This seems to reveal a difference in thinking between the old government and the new government. In the new coalition, for example, it was argued that Keti Kuti is not a public holiday and that in principle it should be possible to take the oath on that day.

However, the outgoing government seemed indignant because, for example, they did not even dare to consider Monday as the date for taking the oath, so why this day? A year after the apology for slavery, it would be a great turnaround if the new government at Keti-Kuti were occupied with something entirely different, as was the idea of ​​the outgoing government.