The government of the Netherlands, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, has resigned after thousands of families were wrongly accused of having defrauded the public welfare system.
These families, many of immigrant origin , were forced to return the money received and hundreds were plunged into serious financial difficulties, losing their homes and their
According to Parliament, the families suffered an “unprecedented injustice” at the hands of civil servants, politicians and judges that left them defenseless.
Rutte submitted the resignation of the cabinet to the king.
“ Innocent people have been criminalized and their lives ruined ” He later told reporters, adding that the responsibility for what happened fell on the cabinet.
“The ball stops here,” he said.
The “unanimous” decision, taken at a cabinet meeting in The Hague, comes in a moment key nto of the covid pandemic – 26.
The Netherlands has entered a new quarantine and ministers have been considering stricter measures to stop the spread of the infection.
The government will maintain interim functions to address the pandemic until the parliamentary elections in March , but Economy Minister Eric Wiebes resigned effective immediately for his role in the scandal.
When asked whether the resignation of the cabinet was merely symbolic, Rutte insisted it was not, even though there are new elections in March.
This is not the first time a Dutch government resigns en masse as a gesture of collective responsibility.
In 2002, the cabinet resigned after a report criticized ministers and the army for failing to prevent the massacre of Muslims in Srebrenica, during the Bosnian war seven years earlier.
What went wrong?
Analysis by Anna Holligan, BBC correspondent in The Hague:
The families were branded as fraudsters for minor errors, such as the lack of signatures in some documents.
They were wrongly forced to return tens of thousands of euros awarded by the government to offset the cost of childcare, without any means of appeal.
They were, as expressed by a minister who resigned in connection with the scandal, “crushed” by the system .
The families remain n ruined by a state apparatus that became “the enemy of the people.”
Some families disintegrated under pressure, homes were lost, some mothers have tearfully talked about financial anguish and psychological they suffered after being attacked by tax officials.
Last year, the tax office admitted that 11, 000 people were subjected to additional scrutiny simply because they had dual nationality .
This confession has reinforced the widespread belief among many ethnic minorities in the Netherlands that discrimination against them is institutionalized and perpetuated by those in power.
But although it is seen as the responsible and honorable response – sacrificing power in an admission of government failure – the massive resignation could be interpreted as an act of self-preservation on the part of the Rutte government, avoiding the prospect of losing a vote of no confidence of the parliamentarians. next week.
What the falsely accused parents say
The scandal started at 2012 and the number of parents involved could reach 19, 000 .
Some openly asked that the The government resigned, saying they had lost faith in the cabinet’s ability to clean up the system.
A mother was demanded to pay the treasury some 48, 000 euros (more than $ 58, 11 Dollars). He tried to explain to the authorities that mistakes had been made, but officials began to withhold not only the allowances for the care of his children, but also other benefits.
His rent was delayed and energy companies refused to provide a regular supply. She eventually lost her job and couldn’t find another as was seen as a scammer.
Her relationship with her son deteriorated when the pressure took its toll.
“There are people in that they allowed it to happen, they allowed it to continue and finally they wanted to cover it up, ”one parent told RTL Nieuws.
What happening now?
Rutte’s liberal VVD party is performing well in opinion polls, so the 17 March could result in another administration led by Rutte.
He has already led three governments since 2010.
Although he initially opposed the resignation of the cabinet, it was deemed inevitable once Labor opposition leader Lodewijk Asscher resigned on Thursday in response to the scandal.
Asscher was Minister of Social Affairs under Rutte’s previous coalition government.
Rutte heads a liberal four-party center-right coalition leading the latest opinion polls, ahead of far-right leader Geert Wilders.
However, the victims of the scandal child welfare workers who had to repay large sums for benefits received have filed a formal complaint this week against several current and former ministers.
A compensation of at least 26, 000 euros (about $ 30, 300 dollars) to each of the parents who were wrongly accused, but many have argued that it is not enough.
Before decision d the resigning government, Sigrid Kaag, leader of the Liberal Party D 66, said that it was “important to be politically responsible and take responsibility for the content of the report and for the injustice committed against parents.”
Finance Minister Alexandra van Huffelen said children affected by the fraud scandal should also be cared for so they can “move on soon.”
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