Tries to silence the opposition: “If you don’t want to work in Parliament, then go sell payet!”
Parliamentarian Endy Croes strongly rejects what he calls the childish behavior of Muzanin Wever, who received only 70 votes and whom our democratic system temporarily granted the chance to occupy the position of Vice President of the Parliament of Aruba.
There is a procedure when a law enters Parliament
When a law is submitted, a formal process must be followed.
First, the law must be recorded (“ingeboekt”) in the system, after which the administration sends it by email to all 21 MPs. The President of Parliament — or the Vice President when the President is absent — then calls a meeting of the Central Committee (CC), where all factions are represented in the large hall. In this meeting, MPs jointly establish a deadline for submitting written questions to the government regarding the law. Usually 2 to 3 weeks — a reasonable and standard timeframe.
It is also very common that when a law is submitted in the afternoon, the CC meeting is scheduled for the next day if the agenda permits, or otherwise the day after. It is never called immediately the same afternoon, because MPs have other meetings, appointments outside the office, and visits as part of their factional duties.
Muzanin wants to act like “Wonder Woman”: sloppy and in bad faith
What happened last Tuesday?
In the early afternoon, a law — the supplementary budget — was submitted. At 14:16 it was officially logged. At 14:21 it was emailed to all MPs. Meanwhile, President Marlon Sneek, who had been working that morning, had left around midday to Panama for a Parlatino meeting. Thus, Vice President Muzanin Wever of Futuro took over.
Just 12 minutes after emailing the law to all MPs — at 14:33 — Muzanin called a CC meeting to start at 15:30, to set the deadline for questions regarding a law that had just arrived.
The law was not urgent. Muzanin could easily have called the meeting the next day to ensure all MPs were aware and could attend. The only reasonable explanation is that
Muzanin acted with bad intentions, trying to catch the opposition by surprise so they wouldn’t make it to the meeting. Having nothing else on her agenda, and newly “wielding the baton” after Sneek’s departure, Muzanin wanted to play the role of “Wonder Woman”. She wanted to rush the law so she could begin her December recess earlier.
Muzanin Wever did not achieve her goal
Muzanin tried to please the government, save time, and neutralize the MEP faction — but it completely backfired.
The MEP faction — which actually works and has a full agenda — was in another meeting. Still, Evelyn Wever-Croes and Hendrik Tevreden managed to excuse themselves and rush to attend the CC meeting that was called in violation of all rules and parliamentary ethics.
Muzanin was visibly surprised that MEP made it on time.
Her proposal?
That no MP should submit questions, and that the report should be sent as a “blank report” — purely to save time. Exactly what we suspected.
A 38-page document that just entered the system, and Muzanin wants to bulldoze it through Parliament without any questions? Is this why Muzanin and Futuro want the HOFA Kingdom Act — to hand our autonomy over to the Netherlands? Muzanin and Futuro want the Dutch government to ask the questions and do the work we elected them to do?
Shame, Muzanin. You are paid by this people to do the job yourself and to hold the government accountable.
The MEP faction protested and ultimately won the battle: MPs now have 7 days — one full week — to review the document and submit questions.
Parliamentarian Endy Croes concludes with:
“If you do NOT want to work in Parliament, then go sell payet!”
Press release: MEP