Coalition unimpressed by Wilders' latest ultimatum; "Political show," opposition says
The PVV’s coalition partners have little desire to respond to the ten-point asylum plan Geert Wilders presented on Monday afternoon, along with a threat to leave the coalition. The VVD, NSC, and BBB seem unimpressed, NOS reported after surveying the parties. Opposition parties view this mainly as a “political show" and Wilders trying to shift the blame for his PVV Asylum Minister not achieving anything.
Wilders presented his ten-point plan on Monday. It includes a complete stop on asylum, the army guarding the border, and stripping dual-nationality from people who commit crimes, among other things. If the government doesn’t take action within the next few weeks, the PVV - the largest coalition party - will leave the coalition, Wilders said. This is not the first time Wilders threatened a Cabinet crisis if he did not get his way on asylum. So far, he has not followed through on these threats.
Coalition partners seem unimpressed. “We could have been much further along if PVV Minister [Marjolein] Faber had delivered on the structural solutions that we have agreed upon. Making new proposals is allowed, but we will not accept it if the implementation of our agreements is delayed even further,” VVD parliamentarian Queeny Rajkowski said to NOS.
The broadcaster heard that the coalition partners are happy to discuss additional measures, as long as they are constitutionally feasible. But they’re also annoyed about what they consider Wilders’ attempt to shift responsibility for the asylum policy because PVV Minister Marjolein Faber of Asylum and Migration can’t get proposals through parliament.
The NSC told NOS that the coalition agreed on quite robust asylum measures in the coalition agreement. According to the coalition party, the problem lies in parliamentary approval and implementation of the measures, something that PVV Minister Faber is responsible for. “We have been asking for decisiveness from the Minister for some time now.”
The smallest coalition party, the BBB, declined to respond.
The opposition is much more explicit in its criticism. “Who is Wilders fooling? He knows his asylum proposals are unfeasible,” said GroenLinks-PvdA MP Kati Piri. “So the question is: is this a diversionary manoeuvre to cover up broken promises? Or is he out to bring down the Wilders-Yeşilgöz Cabinet?”
Wilders is “a cat in a corner,” according to D66 leader Rob Jetten. “Wilders has sold fairy tales about migration, and now he pretends that it is someone else’s fault. And so Wilders is putting on a political show. It is for his own gain. It does not help the Netherlands.
SP leader Jimmy Dijk also spoke of a political show. “What a sob story. You yourself formed this Cabinet, and you yourself appointed this failed Minister for Migration. You have achieved nothing, zilch, nada.”
