Dutch government has failed the people, says National Ombudsman in scathing interview

National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen was strongly critical about the functioning of the government in an interview with De Telegraaf. He previously gave the government a score of six, which he said was a generous rating at best. Now, looking back over the entirety of 2022, he said the government rating did not improve, “because they have failed, and they simply do not keep their promises," he told the newspaper.

He said the government is simply not learning from past mistakes. Because in the southern part of Limburg, for example, the same errors are being repeated with money for flood damage repairs as were made in Groningen with money given out for repairs for earthquake damages.

In the upcoming year, he is most concerned that people will still be mistrustful of the government. "I also understand after all the misery it has caused. They feel as though the government is really sitting opposite of them instead of next to them. It is a bad development,” Van Zutphen said.

When asked whether he still has faith in politics, Van Zutphen stated, "I tend to say no." He points out that tens of thousands of people have run into major problems because of the government decision making, such as those most affected by the consequences of drilling for natural gas in Groningen, and the victims of the tax office’s child benefits scandal. Thousands of parents were reviewed by an algorithm, which also included racial or ethnic profiling characteristics, and were falsely identified as frauds.

They were then cut off from benefits without a fair review, and forced to repay the entirety of the benefits received in the past, placing many into insurmountable debt. The scandal led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s third Cabinet, however a year after Rutte’s fourth Cabinet took office, many victims have yet to be fully compensated.

"In Limburg, citizens are still waiting for their money, a year and a half after the floods. While in a prosperous country like ours you would assume that everything is well organized. And the government knows what needs to be done to solve it,” Van Zutphen said.

He also does not feel supported by the Tweede Kamer either. The lower house of Dutch parliament appointed Van Zutphen to the role. He said it was “shocking” that he has to repeat the same story time and time again. “You then experience a lot of sympathy and a listening ear,” he continued, saying it makes him believe work will actually be completed and the situation will be improved.

”But if you have to keep singing the same tune a year later because nothing happened...,” said the National Ombudsman. "Yes, then you sometimes become despondent and you wonder why parliament has actually appointed you and asks you for advice. In any case, there is still little sign of that new administrative culture."