Like in many other Western democracies, Members of Parliament, ministers, and state secretaries in the Netherlands cannot be prosecuted criminally. They are not civilly liable for what they have said in the House or communicated to them in writing. Sadly, there are numerous reasons for prosecuting former Prime Minister Mark Rutte and some of his former cabinet members. The accumulation of debacles is unprecedented in Dutch history.

By Dimmen Breen | Special to The Liberum
Painful failures are the common denominator of Rutte's four cabinets in the pas 14 years (2010 till July 2024). The new Secretary General of NATO is unqualified for any job on the international stage. Rutte is seen by many as the worst premier in Dutch history. His actions and those of some of his cabinet members demanded justice.

Our beloved and failed ex-Prime Minister, who was caught several times in the parliament, has now secured a top position for himself as NATO chief. Rutte’s evasive responses, such as ‘I do not have active memories about that’ or ‘I do not know World Economic Forum (or Claus Schwab), ' are a source of agony and disbelief for many.

It goes further, Rutte is the only Premier who was caught lying in the Dutch parliament and stayed in power as if nothing had happened. Before his reign, the tradition was to keep the honour to yourself and step down.

The word honour does not even exist in his vocabulary.

He became known as the man who could not give a straight answer. Another favorite answer of Rutte on critical subjects was ‘It could be that I have heard about it, but I do not remember’. His disrespectful performance was a rigorous insult and undermining of Dutch democracy.

Let's not waste any more words on the mismanagement of the so-called COVID pandemic by his cabinet. Like most of us in the world, we suffered from disproportional measures and a shocking lack of accountability for the devastating effects on society. The Corona debacle is a stark example of this.

Not to mention the responsible, incompetent Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge, a jumped-up primary school teacher who never saw a university from the inside. After Rutte, he became the second in line of incompetence, threatening to trace down every individual who refused a ‘voluntary’ COVID shot. Oh yes, he lost over 5 billion euros on his annual budget.

Rutte and his pack of incompetent ministers were unwilling to make anything of it in Groningen after the region suffered earthquakes. Regrettably, gas production caused many earthquakes in the area, which have damaged homes and buildings and caused anxiety for people locally.

During the ‘Dutch childcare benefits scandal,’ citizens were deliberately targeted and ground down. The false allegations of fraud made by the Tax and Customs Administration while attempting to regulate the distribution of childcare benefits were staggering. They were destroying families by placing children outside families into foster care., leading to poverty and even suicide.

 There are dozens more examples.

Consider the relationship between politics and the population. The distance between Jupiter and Mars pales in comparison. Despite numerous blunders, those politically responsible remain untouched. They are rewarded with lucrative jobs and continue their destructive actions.

For example, the ex-Minister of Finance, Sigrid Kaag, is utterly blundering. She fled the country after making a complete fool of herself as Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Minister of Finance. She is now high and dry somewhere in the Middle East as the special coordinator for Gaza. Or something in that range.

There are many more examples, too many for just one column.

The mistakes of our state secretaries and ministers are painful. Although they should be held to the highest standards, they are immune from prosecution and civil liability for their words and actions in Parliament.

This does not apply to swearing, racist statements, or the like, which are prohibited. To quote an irrelevant former Christian Union Member of Parliament: 'Words matter'. They do indeed, but what about actions? The immunity does apply to promoting and making far-reaching wrong and disastrous decisions if this is done in official meetings.

There is still room for improvement in Dutch political governance. Several lawyers are committed to this, which is kudos! Unfortunately, the system is designed to make successful prosecution an illusion.

Unfortunately, we all must live with that.

Dimmen Breen is a pioneer in applied nanotechnology. He has experience in oil and chemical markets, marketing, and Logistics Management. He is retired and focuses on writing columns about political issues.