PVV MP Martin Bosma today expressed his dissatisfaction with the absence of Minister Hugo de Jonge from the debate on press freedom and press safety. Bosma had hoped that De Jonge, along with D66 State Secretary Gunay Uslu of Culture and Media, would be present. The reason behind his request was the desire to get clarification from De Jonge on his statements regarding a column by Marianne Zwagerman in the Telegraaf.
De Jonge branded the column as malicious and called it a disgrace that Zwagerman was given a stage. This position of the minister is absolutely incomprehensible and raises many questions. It is absurd for De Jonge to speak so negatively about a columnist and her right to free speech. If a similar situation occurred in Hungary or Poland, the world would be too small and there would rightly be a fuss. But here in the Netherlands, De Jonge seems to get away with it with impunity.
Martin Bosma wanted nothing more than to summon Minister De Jonge to the House of Representatives to hold him accountable for his inappropriate remarks. It is crucial that politicians, especially ministers, clarify their views and actions regarding freedom of the press and freedom of speech. It is therefore very disappointing that a majority in the House of Representatives refused Bosma's request. This demonstrates a lack of transparency and accountability within our parliament.
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The absence of Minister De Jonge and the lack of support for Bosma's request highlight the need for a critical look at political culture in the Netherlands. It is high time that politicians take responsibility for their words and actions, and guarantee the right to free speech and freedom of the press. The rejection of the request for Minister De Jonge to attend the debate is a worrying development that further undermines confidence in politics. The debate begins this afternoon at 4 p.m.