Jeroen Pauw takes a hard line against Marjolein Faber: 'Speak the truth'

Former minister Marjolein Faber (PVV) appeared on Pauw & De Wit last night. Host Jeroen Pauw didn't treat her with kid gloves in this sparse interview. He called her policies "unkind and lacking empathy." He also discussed her memoirs, which caused a stir because members of parliament suspected she had leaked information from the cabinet.

In a conversation with Jeroen Pauw, Faber spoke in the same style as she had during her time as minister. She often repeated answers without really addressing questions. For example, she continued to say she supported criminalizing illegal immigration, but declined to comment on criminalizing the assistance of undocumented immigrants.

Faber also said that her asylum laws would have helped the Netherlands a lot. Among other things, they would help end the housing shortage. Pauw strongly opposed this, saying it was untrue. "Just tell the truth."

He also emphasized that he found her policy "unkind." He was referring, among other things, to the signs Faber wanted to place at asylum centers, which read, "We are working on your return here." "People fleeing war and violence would read such a sign here. Young asylum seekers are not allowed to go to Efteling, and there are no ribbons for COA volunteers. It's all unkind and lacking empathy."

"The people who come through Ter Apel have come through countless safe countries," says Faber. "But they still continue on to Ter Apel. And why? Because the facilities here are good. It's not about safety, but about the best facilities." Pauw: "People are sleeping outside, you know." Faber: "Don't call me, because I'm no longer the minister." Pauw: "You can't just say 'don't call me'?"

In a segment during the broadcast, several parliamentary group leaders in the House of Representatives said Faber wasn't doing her job properly. She allegedly wasn't reaching out to members of parliament enough to garner support for her laws. In her book and during the broadcast, the PVV member said she's not a fan of backroom deals. "You have to make promises to get their support, and I don't like that."

Faber rarely gives long interviews. It's no coincidence that she did appear on a talk show this time: after all, she has a book to sell. The former minister's book, "They Can't Get Me Down ," hit shelves last week. In it, she takes several colleagues to task .

But that's not even the main reason the book has caused such a stir. NSC leader Eddy van Hijum accused Faber of leaking information from the Cabinet and argued that Prime Minister Dick Schoof should press charges. The NSC member was referring to a passage from Faber's recently published book in which she describes a discussion with then-NSC Minister Judith Uitermark (Home Affairs) about asylum measures.

“Faber is undermining trust and cooperation, also in any subsequent cabinet. Looking the other way has lasting consequences,” wrote Van Hijum on X. He referred to a tweet by constitutional law expert Wim Voermans. Voermans quoted a passage from Faber’s book, in which she lists specific measures that Uitermark, according to her, wanted to remove from its asylum laws. Voermans wondered whether Faber was committing an official misconduct here, since leaking from the Council of Ministers is prohibited.

Faber himself said last night that everything in the book was discussed outside the Cabinet. This included conversations held during Cabinet adjournments, for example. Schoof says he doesn't intend to press charges.