Sports Minister Conny Helder is under fire from her fellow Members of Parliament due to her decision to leave during an unfinished debate about last year’s sport budget. The reason? To fly to Qatar. ✈
The Dutch MP has been met with backlash after she decided to leave the debate early, reports RTL Nieuws.
Got a flight to catch
After a grand six hours of debate, at 11.30 PM, Helder departed from the cabinet in order to catch her flight to Qatar, determined not to jeopardise preparations.
But, according to the Socialist Party (SP), the Labour Party (PvdA), and the Party for Freedom (PVV), the debate was far from over, and they insisted that Helder should have finished the debate before departing.
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On top of this, other MPs have made it clear they don’t want Helder to attend the matches in Qatar. SP member Michiel van Nispen says, “If the minister leaves this debate now, I don’t want her to come back. We want a real sports minister.”
“You don’t care, but I do”
However, Helder hit back with the words “you don’t care, but I do,”, and insisted that her departure was not about an unwillingness to continue the debate.
As VVD member Rudmer Heerema pointed out, it is quite normal that debates are suspended due to time.
Yet, Helder’s choice to go to Qatar is clearly unpleasing to the Chamber. The location for the FIFA World Cup has come with huge backlash due to Qatar’s stance on major political and human rights issues, such as LBGTQ+ rights and worker’s rights.
What is next for Helder, is uncertain. The debate is set to resume on Thursday.
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