Opinion: National government must stop distrust and listen better to allowance parents

OPINION

Opinion: National government must stop distrust and listen better to allowance parents

The State must deal radically differently with those affected by the benefits scandal in order to regain trust. Focus on justice, learn from your mistakes and also from initiatives such as 'the Laurentian Method'.

Natasha Mohamed Hussein July 8, 2024, 1:55 PM

Allowance parents prior to the Parliamentary debate on the handling of the allowance affair, in March 2023.Image: Freek van den Bergh/de Volkskrant

In my position as alderman, I see up close every day the harrowing consequences of the benefits scandal. Rotterdam has the largest number of victims, approximately one out of seven victims lives here and, due to bureaucratic errors, is the government has been wrongly accused of fraud. The Empire's recovery route is slow and viscous, with an interval between only 500 cases that have been dealt with since 2020, while thousands more are in the pipeline. This does not contribute to restoring trust.

I see what the gap between government and citizens does in my city. Vulnerable citizens avoid support from the government. Accepting help from the government has become a risk. My job as a director is therefore to restore trust by exercising fairness and justice. For this to be successful, I desperately need the Recovery Allowances Implementation Organization (UHT) and the Actual Damage Commission (CWS).

About the AuthorNatasha Mohamed-Hussein is an alderman for Poverty Reduction, Debt Counseling, Language and Allowances for the Municipality of Rotterdam.

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But the focus on the accountability of euros has created a gigantic bureaucratic process that causes unnecessary damage to the victims and our society. In the meantime, this will around 9 billion euros published by the State. A third of the funds go to an army of external advice and consultancy firms, lawyers and additional officials. Less than half goes to compensation for victims, including the so-called Catshuis scheme and additional compensation.

Delay

I identify a pattern of delay and ineffectiveness and we, as a municipality, are feeling the pressure. We have long waiting lists to further help Rotterdam victims. The municipality's task is to provide a fresh start, but that is difficult because the past has often not yet been completed by the State. Questions about compensation are now also coming to the municipality.

Unfortunately, we cannot accelerate the national recovery route. In fact, like other municipalities, we run into the fact that few steps are being made in national processing. recently the pause button was pressed during a second recovery route via the Equal Recovery Foundation — also known as the “Laurentien Method” — because of questions about the amount of compensation.

In the starting blocks

This is while this method is fast, efficient and transparent. In three quarters of a year, the foundation dealt with 300 files and stood in the starting blocks to scale up. The Equal Recovery Foundation is gaining momentum because they are able to build real contact, respect and mutual trust with victims.

Now there is also another new bill in preparation about the decision on additional compensation, under which the State wants to extend the waiting period from six months to one year. With a delay of another year. This is a solution for the State to avoid rising penalty payments, but an unjust and unacceptable situation for tens of thousands of victims.

Change in mentality

Parents and children yearn for a normal life and the government has promised to support them in doing so. We must do everything in our power to fulfill that promise. That can only benefit us as a society. This requires a change in mentality and a more equitable way of working. Distrust has a proven negative long-term effect: it costs more money, causes permanent emotional damage and fuels suspicion towards the government.

The national government desperately needs initiatives such as the Equal Recovery Foundation as an independent executive partner to settle the tens of thousands of files. Speed is needed to turn the life story of parents and their children into a positive direction. Recognition for the suffering suffered is essential to restore the dignity of affected parents. The government should not fall back into a bureaucratic pattern without humanity and reason.

Humanity

The government must take responsibility and make the promised reparation payment. As a result, parents and children will regain control over their lives and citizens will slowly start to trust the government again. I call on Secretary of State for Finance Nora Achahbar (NSC) and the House of Representatives to break the pattern of delays in dealing with the benefits scandal. Learn from your mistakes and show humanity by working towards equitable solutions based on mutual trust and reason. That's what we're trying to do in Rotterdam too.