The top of the VRT will not have to justify themselves in the Flemish Parliament next week. N-VA and Vlaams Belang stayed away today, which meant that the necessary quorum was not met and it was not possible to vote on the interpellation of the VRT CEO. In this way, the VRT leadership – not for the first time – escapes critical questions in parliament.
However, it looked different initially. Once The standard had reported about Clever minds, a VRT TV program that, according to critics, was tailor-made for Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA), N-VA was the only party that continued to openly reject an interpellation from the VRT leadership. “There are moments every year when the CEO and the chairman of the board of directors are heard,” said Member of Parliament Wilfried Vandaele (N-VA). “That is fixed in a cadence. This will also happen this year when the annual report is published. There’s no point in making any extra fuss about it.”
Until recently, N-VA was supported in this by Vlaams Belang, which was also unable to interpellate the VRT leadership during the riot over the canceled Bart De Pauw documentary. But yesterday it sounded different. Vlaams Belang MP Klaas Slootmans then spoke about “a particularly big problem” in response to the “Clever heads” story. “We will support that hearing,” he said yesterday The standard.
Third attempt failed
A day later the cards are suddenly different. The fact that N-VA would not present was in line with expectations. Vandaele says today that “people are busy” to go to parliament for a vote “between the soup and the fries”.
But apart from N-VA, Vlaams Belang also did not show up. “They can question the minister next week,” Slootmans says now. “It is the minister and the Flemish government that must be held accountable here, not so much the VRT.”
Due to that 180 degree turn, and the absence of Vlaams Belang in parliament, the necessary number of parliamentarians for a vote was lacking. This way the VRT top escapes the dance. Again, because it was already the third attempt to summon the management to parliament.
Members of the opposition react indignantly. “The fact that there will be no hearing again is a mockery after the series of problematic files,” says Meyrem Almaci (Green). “It is also very telling: those who have nothing to hide, have nothing to lose. If you are right in your shoes, you just come to that committee and respond to the criticism transparently. Our public broadcaster deserves better.”
At Vooruit, Katia Segers says that she is “appalled by the passive obstruction that N-VA is doing here as the only majority party. What drives them to stop this hearing, to boycott parliament in its oversight function?” According to her, the stories about the VRT in recent weeks are important enough to be heard by the VRT top. “The fact that N-VA is looking for and finding an entente with Vlaams Belang for this is downright nasty.”
