Members of parliament are not allowed to call for civil disobedience in meeting rooms. That writes Chamber President Vera Bergkamp in a Friday published note which is addressed to MPs in preparation for the debate on parliamentary manners next Thursday. Bergkamp also proposes to tighten up the Rules of Order, the rules of the House.
The memorandum follows a number of incidents in the House of Representatives. In November, for example, a parliamentary debate was disrupted after MP Pepijn van Houwelingen (Forum for Democracy) threatened Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) with the arrival of tribunals. In January, a corona debate was halted after Gideon van Meijeren (Forum for Democracy) called for civil disobedience. PVV leader Geert Wilders spoke during the debate on the government statement of “importing cowardly packs of Arabs and Africans”. According to critics, the presidium of the House would not intervene sufficiently.
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Bergkamp writes in her memorandum that she too sees that the debate in the House is getting rough. According to her, the fact that this roughening is accompanied by ‘associated expressions on social media’ puts ‘social relations on edge’. Also, the increasing threats against MPs and ministers cannot be viewed separately from the way MPs debate with each other.
no judge
“When will my freedom cause someone else’s insecurity?” is a question that parliamentarians should ask themselves, according to the President of the House. Threats and intimidation do not belong in the House, Bergkamp writes. She proposes to include this explicitly in the Rules of Procedure. In her opinion, the unwritten rule ‘speaking through the chairman’ can also be added to the regulations.
Endorsing or encouraging “illegal acts” is also not allowed. As far as the chairman is concerned, this includes civil disobedience—deliberately breaking the law or disobeying government orders for a political purpose. When parliamentarians question or otherwise undermine the democratic rule of law, others must address them through ‘debate’.
Bergkamp recalls that she is not a judge and that she is not able to judge whether there is racism or discrimination in terms of insulting statements. It can, however, put a stop to “unnecessarily hurtful” statements. Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) supported Bergkamp’s proposals on Friday. “I will also have said things that I now think: oh, that could have been a bit more chic,” said Rutte at the weekly press conference after the Council of Ministers.
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