National state of confusion
by
Marcel Van Silfhout |
A political alchemist needed to form a coalition
THE formation of a coalition government in the Netherlands has failed again. It’s like poll fluctuations — whether Holland swings to the left or the right — that can best be measured on a daily basis. Tomorrow the outcome might be another one. The country, with a splintered political landscape after the bizarre elections of early June, needs a sort of political alchemist to form a new cabinet. And that’s just what the Dutch Queen did last week: She appointed the good old master of compromises, the 71-year-old former Minister-President Ruud Lubbers. If Lubbers fails, we may consider the Dutch political system of coalition governments as unworkable and broke.
There is also another way to describe the current perplexity. Perhaps it’s just a ritual dance by the top of the political parties involved, a dance to mislead their own electorate in order to convince their supporters that they had to make tremendous and unpopular compromises.
The outcome of the elections was and still is splintered politics, a trend we see even within the party that has won. The Liberals might have won the elections, but they have failed twice in forming a cabinet. The rightwing Liberals couldn’t cobble a coalition with their favourite side, nor did they succeed in wooing the left. Just one day after the appointment of Lubbers, his message was simple and clear: There will be a rightwing attempt again.
It’s a difficult if not impossible mission. The rightwing coalition with the extremist party of the highly controversial anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders can only be formed with the help of Christian Democrats. Until recently the Christian Democrats refused to cooperate with Wilders, who is the big winner in the elections. His party has even outnumbered the formerly powerful and leading Christian Democrats.
Although the formation of a leftist-oriented four-party cabinet consisting of Liberals, Democrats, the Socialist and Green party under the name ‘Purple-plus’ seemed to succeed, it didn’t. Last week purple-plus failed due to the harsh demand of the Liberals to cut back 18 billion euro. This smashed out the progressive parties. But, again, this might also be just a ritual dance, a move to please the rightwing component of Liberals which is yearning for a coalition with Wilders. These conservative supporters of Liberals had claimed that the formation of a government with Wilders had not been explored properly in the first attempt. Now, with the help of Lubbers, they have what they want: a new chance for Wilders.
Whatever the outcome may be, it will never be the one that is loved or popular by a majority of Dutch people. Holland has chosen a splintered political landscape, which, of course, mirrors the utterly divided country. There is a saying, “every people get the leaders they deserve.” Now we should say, “every leader gets the people he deserves.”
An argument on the merits of leftists forming a government goes something like this: “Let the Liberals and Christian Democrats form a government with Wilders. Good luck with Wilders, let him rule Holland. But a cabinet with Wilders will soon fall. After that we will have new elections, more voters and then we can clean up the mess.”
But there is another leftist argument which echoes fear. “If Wilders gets into power the Netherlands will lose whatever image it has as an open, pleasant and tolerant country.” Or, “it will be a shame for Holland if Wilders becomes a prominent member of the ruling coalition. And we all know what happened to Italy where Berlusconi is still in power. Many people once thought Berlusconi wouldn’t stay long in power, but he did.”
If a coalition between the Liberals, Christian Democrats and Wilders’ ‘Freedom Party’ succeeds, it will definitively split the Liberals and Christian Democrats. The author of this column isn’t a Wilders’ fan. But it’s amazing to see how Wilders has succeeded to become a force to reckon with in the political spectrum. I’ve written before, “something is rotten in the state of the Netherlands.” We can almost smell it. Again, it’s the harsh, intolerant and grudging electorate that gave the populist Wilders 24 seats in parliament. The strength is enough to take the government formation process hostage.
However, there is still hope. It’s just a ritual dance of the Liberals who at last will get back to their senses and desert the Wilders’ party. As I said, there is something rotten in the state of the Netherlands. It’s the monumental Dutch system of ‘poldering’ (a sublimated system in which different parties with different views are able to make compromises) with coalition governments. Perhaps it’s at the end of its durability. A coalition system can only work in a climate of mutual understanding and tolerance. It can’t work with fungus all around. Let’s hope it isn’t our democratic system that is infected.
(Marcel van Silfhout is an investigative reporter working for public Dutch Television)
Oman Tribune
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