Speech | 30-06-2024
Good followingnoon,
I saw a photo of myself in the newspaper the other day from my early days as prime minister. That was slightly confronting. Let me put it this way: I have gained a few grey hairs and some wrinkles since then. And I also hope for a bit more seniority. But that is almost inevitable. After almost 14 years and more than 5000 days in this job. It has flown by. I think everyone above a certain age recognises that. How moments come in life when you realise: how quickly time flies and how much has happened. For me, this is one of those moments.
In just a little while, my time as your, as your, Prime Minister will be over. I admit, that feels unreal and it also makes me feel melancholy. But that certainly does not prevail today. Now that the Torentje has been cleared away for my successor, I look back with gratitude on a very special and intensive time. I have been able to experience the most beautiful things up close, but also the saddest and most difficult events. As Prime Minister, you are in the privileged position that you are given the opportunity to make a difference at all those moments, to do something good. I hope that I have succeeded in doing that now and then. And of course I wish my successor, Dick Schoof, every success.
One of the most important things I learned as prime minister is that doing your best and doing everything right are two very different things. And then I immediately think of the benefits scandal and the earthquakes in Groningen. A lot went wrong there under my responsibility and I take that personally.
I have had so many conversations with people who do not feel safe in their own homes. With parents who have lost everything because of the government. With young people who told me outright that their childhood has been taken away from them. And I assure you, so much injustice and sadness crawls under your skin. Those conversations will always stay with me.
But as a politician, and certainly as a prime minister, you are not hired to just have regrets. If things have not gone well, you have to put them right – that is your job. I have tried that – we have tried that as a cabinet. It is and remains deeply frustrating that things are not going faster. At the same time, I trust that our successors will continue on the path to recovery that has been taken. And more importantly, that the people of Groningen and the allowance parents can count on that. To them I say: if I might wish for one thing today, it would be that your problems and worries would be over as soon as possible. So that you can move on. That is what I wish for you.
In the past weeks and days I have of course often thought back to those first years. The Netherlands was in the middle of a serious economic crisis. We can hardly imagine it anymore, but around 2012-2013 there were up to 15,000 more unemployed people per month. The deficit on the national budget exploded. And so we had to change course, with the most drastic reforms and cutbacks ever. In retrospect, it is a small miracle how quickly we climbed out of that deep valley. And I am still proud of how we did that as a country.
Together.
With entrepreneurs and unions.
With municipalities and provinces.
With everyone in the country
And with broad political support, including from parties that were not in government.
It all happened in the best Dutch tradition of consultation, sensible compromises and not running away from responsibility. That is truly unique to the Netherlands. And it is important to hold on to that. Because together you are stronger than alone.
And I learned that lesson once more, at a completely different time in a completely different context. Namely around the attack on MH17. In a few weeks it will be 10 years ago. Ten years already, and yet so close.
Everyone remembers the heartbreaking images of the bodies returning home in Eindhoven. The endless procession of hearses, accompanied by thousands of people along the route. And later the impressive National Remembrance in the RAI. For me personally, MH17 is perhaps the most profound and emotional event of my entire premiership. I have always tried to be a support for the relatives.
But MH17 also changed my personal view of the world. Even more than before, following MH17 I realized how important it is for a country not to stand alone in a world full of unrest and threats. How countries that work together also protect each other. And how crucial it is that our country is embedded in the European Union and NATO. One look at the world map makes that clear. I’ll say it once more: together you are stronger than alone. Especially now, with a war just a few hours’ flight from our country, that thought should motivate us to continue to support Ukraine. For peace there and security here.
And yes… When you enter your last weeks and days, you are often asked the same question. Which events, which moments from those almost 14 years will stay with you the most? What made the biggest impression? It is actually impossible to give a short answer to that. Because how do you choose from so many? But let me try today.
I already mentioned MH17 – that was so big, it will never leave me. But I also think of the moment when I apologized for the actions of the Dutch government during the Holocaust. And with the commemoration and celebration of Keti Koti tomorrow, I naturally think of the apologies for the slavery past. Those are moments when, as Prime Minister, you can make a very direct connection by giving recognition. With all the emotion that that unleashes. Not as a person, not as Mark Rutte from The Hague, but as a representative of something bigger – a country, a society. That may all sound a bit solemn coming from me, but that is how I really felt and experienced it. It is a great honor that I was able to fulfill that role on a few occasions.
And then there was corona. I still remember how I sat tensely here in the Torentje for that first TV speech on March 16, 2020, just before seven o’clock in the evening. Not knowing what was coming our way with corona, but that it would be mega-big and drastic. It’s probably a good thing that we didn’t know at that time that this rollercoaster ride would last 2 years. Two years in which many people lost a loved one, with all the grief that doesn’t just go away. Two years in which life was also very difficult in other respects – for some, to this day.
Corona affected everything. Our health, our social life, our work and income. It affected the future of our young people. It was a time of loneliness for too many people. And it also left its mark on society, which has not been easily repaired.
Inevitably, I, we as a cabinet, have made mistakes in the approach. It cannot be otherwise. At the same time, I think that many good and beautiful things have happened in society during this period. The people in healthcare delivered an unprecedented performance.
In companies, the hospitality industry, schools, associations, museums and theatres – everyone made the best of it. And everywhere spontaneous initiatives arose to help, support or comfort each other. That is also the Netherlands. You know how I feel regarding that.
The Netherlands is a cool country. I admit, I may have said that once or twice too often. But that’s because I mean it, from the bottom of my heart.
There is no war here. In the Netherlands you can be who you are and love who you want. We are prosperous. And our democracy is strong. Not only because we can vote freely – at least – every four years. But also because in the Netherlands you can make it loud and clear if you disagree with something. And we have a free and critical press and independent judges. So yes, a cool country.
And there is one thing I know for sure following almost 14 years as prime minister. It is in people. People make a country. That is how I have been able to do the work all those years on my own, because I was supported by super-smart, expert and hard-working civil servants. That is what I want to say when I say goodbye. Furthermore, as prime minister, I have met countless people throughout the Netherlands, young and old. And also on the Caribbean islands, which are part of us. I have gotten to know many organizations and associations. I have seen the most beautiful museums and attended performances. I have seen our military personnel in action on missions abroad – deep respect for what they do. And I do not know how many companies I have been able to look behind the front door, from the smallest start-up to the largest manufacturing factory.
And I tell you, we have a country that is bursting with creativity and entrepreneurship. With hard work and then enjoying it to the fullest. And fortunately also a country with a healthy aversion to hierarchy and excessive poshness. But above all we are a country of volunteers, informal caregivers, good neighbors and best friends. Of course there is also grumbling sometimes. That is also the Netherlands. But when push comes to shove, we stand by each other and help each other.
Today I can therefore only repeat what I said at the beginning of the corona crisis. Take care of each other. I am counting on you.
I felt honored to be your Prime Minister, and I did it with incredible pleasure.
