Bart De Wever (N-VA) and Paul Magnette (PS) sound strikingly unanimous in their response to the assignment they accepted from King Filip. Also for the French-speaking socialists, the corona crisis has shown that our country’s institutional system has become too complex. “The PS has made an opening, which we have to explore,” says De Wever.
“The corona crisis is the worst crisis we’ve experienced since World War II,” PS Chairman Magnette said in a video message. He draws lessons from that crisis: “We cannot tackle such a long and serious crisis without a real government. I don’t want to settle accounts, but it is clear that our country is not ready to deal with this crisis, which we will face for years to come. ”
ALSO READ. How De Wever and Magnette are now forced to form a government together
“There is no strong federal government,” said N-VA chairman De Wever. “We drift on a rudderless ship. The problems now need to be addressed. ”
Magnette couldn’t resist lashing out at the Michel government “which has weakened our social security and cut our health care system,” but at the same time, the PS president expressed support for institutional reform. “Our country has become so complex that public services are losing efficiency and nobody is finding their way around it. During this crisis, some have been more concerned with shifting the blame onto others than taking their own responsibility. It is time to clarify who does what and to simplify our institutional system and make it more efficient. ”
That sounded like music to De Wever: “Powers are fragmented, an efficient approach is impossible. The PS has made an opening to tackle that institutional and to redistribute the powers. There is no guarantee of success, but I think we should explore that track. ”
(rvs)
—
