After more than 15 reminders without any result, the silence of the President of Parliament has finally been broken. However, this did not happen of his own free will.
On July 16, 2026, the Governor’s Cabinet sent an official letter to Member of Parliament Rocco Tjon. The letter states clearly: the complaint filed on July 13th was forwarded to the President of Parliament, Mr. Sneek, with the direct request to address this complaint and send a copy of his response back to the Governor’s Cabinet. According to Tjon, this is the first time in recent history that the Governor has had to intervene directly to force the President of Parliament to fulfill his duty.
A total of 15 ignored requests
Tjon explained that parliamentarians requested a question hour (vragenuur) with Minister Gerlien Croes to address the issue surrounding the private jet. In the process, they sent more than 15 letters to the President of Parliament, but received no response. For this reason, they directed more than 15 letters to the Governor to inform him that Parliament’s power of control is being obstructed.
The parliamentarian emphasized that this matter is serious, as it involves a minister who refuses to show proof of a trip financed with public funds. Despite the severity, Tjon points out that the President of Parliament chose to do nothing.
An unprecedented precedent in the history of our country
Tjon questioned what there is to hide in this case. He underlined that the fact the Governor felt the need to give instructions and ask for a copy of the response (afschrift) is proof of how far this situation has degenerated.
The President of Parliament, who should defend the people’s right to control, has become the wall that covers up transparency. Finally, Tjon expressed that the people deserve a functioning Parliament, and not a President who only moves when the Governor knocks on his door. “The people deserve a functioning Parliament and a President who does not wait for instructions from the Governor to fulfill his duty,” MP Tjon concluded.
