During a meeting reserved for socialist activists, the federal minister in charge of Beliris declared: “I am pleasing all the communes and in particular, obviously, the socialist communes”, according to remarks reported by La Libre. A sentence that did not fail to make the other political parties react.
The Brussels Federation of the Socialist Party met on Wednesday with its activists to give a mid-term review of the ministers in the federal and Brussels governments. During this meeting, normally closed to the press but in which a journalist from La Libre Belgique had slipped in, the federal minister for pensions, who is also responsible for Beliris, had a little phrase that created a controversy in the political world.
Referring to the renovation of more than 1,000 social housing units and the construction of a new sports hall in Evere and Koekelberg, Minister Karine Lalieux said: “Beliris is just a joy. I have an investment envelope, and I am pleasing all the municipalities and in particular, obviously, the socialist municipalities.
Ecolo and Groen, in power with the Socialist Party at federal and Brussels level, did not fail to react in a statement. “If these remarks are true, they show an unbearable clientelist vision. The Beliris fund has only one function: to promote the influence of Brussels as a capital and an international city, for the benefit of all the inhabitants of Brussels and all its visitors.
“The Minister must understand that Beliris is not pocket money to finance friends”, added Federal MP Guillaume Defossé. He also called for an audit of all projects financed by Beliris since the Minister took office “in order to evaluate whether a scattering of funds has been carried out according to purely political and non-objective criteria”.
MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez also reacted on Twitter. “Public money deserves better than cronyism. Like Ecolo, we believe that the Beliris audit is necessary.
Minister Karine Lalieux reacted to the criticism on Twitter. Wishing to “put into context” the remarks made at the meeting, she argued that she was addressing socialist activists, and therefore referred to the projects in the communes of the elected representatives present in the assembly. “But whether it is for the hockey stadium in Uccle, the Neptunium swimming pool in Schaerbeek, the Tournay-Solvay park in Watermael-Boitsfort, the pedestrian-cycling paths, the Metro 3…: I am defending ambitious projects for the whole of Brussels, in all the communes.”
She also recalled that Beliris’ investment projects were “subject to approval by both the regional and federal governments, and are in no way selected or designated by the competent minister”.
PS and clientelism, is there a more powerful combo out there?
Politician: “I am member of this party because I like its ideology”
Other politicians: “HOW DARE YOU”.
Who’s cancelling who again?
I can’t stand Lalieux but in this case isn’t it just a deliberate misinterpretation?
My reading of “je fais plaisir à l’ensemble des communes et en particulier, évidemment, aux communes socialistes” is that she just means that her measures, investments in social housing and sports facilities, will make everyone happy, but they’re particularly likely to please communes that vote socialist. Which isn’t very shocking.
All animals are equal but some are more equal than others
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During a meeting reserved for socialist activists, the federal minister in charge of Beliris declared: “I am pleasing all the communes and in particular, obviously, the socialist communes”, according to remarks reported by La Libre. A sentence that did not fail to make the other political parties react.
The Brussels Federation of the Socialist Party met on Wednesday with its activists to give a mid-term review of the ministers in the federal and Brussels governments. During this meeting, normally closed to the press but in which a journalist from La Libre Belgique had slipped in, the federal minister for pensions, who is also responsible for Beliris, had a little phrase that created a controversy in the political world.
Referring to the renovation of more than 1,000 social housing units and the construction of a new sports hall in Evere and Koekelberg, Minister Karine Lalieux said: “Beliris is just a joy. I have an investment envelope, and I am pleasing all the municipalities and in particular, obviously, the socialist municipalities.
Ecolo and Groen, in power with the Socialist Party at federal and Brussels level, did not fail to react in a statement. “If these remarks are true, they show an unbearable clientelist vision. The Beliris fund has only one function: to promote the influence of Brussels as a capital and an international city, for the benefit of all the inhabitants of Brussels and all its visitors.
“The Minister must understand that Beliris is not pocket money to finance friends”, added Federal MP Guillaume Defossé. He also called for an audit of all projects financed by Beliris since the Minister took office “in order to evaluate whether a scattering of funds has been carried out according to purely political and non-objective criteria”.
MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez also reacted on Twitter. “Public money deserves better than cronyism. Like Ecolo, we believe that the Beliris audit is necessary.
Minister Karine Lalieux reacted to the criticism on Twitter. Wishing to “put into context” the remarks made at the meeting, she argued that she was addressing socialist activists, and therefore referred to the projects in the communes of the elected representatives present in the assembly. “But whether it is for the hockey stadium in Uccle, the Neptunium swimming pool in Schaerbeek, the Tournay-Solvay park in Watermael-Boitsfort, the pedestrian-cycling paths, the Metro 3…: I am defending ambitious projects for the whole of Brussels, in all the communes.”
She also recalled that Beliris’ investment projects were “subject to approval by both the regional and federal governments, and are in no way selected or designated by the competent minister”.
PS and clientelism, is there a more powerful combo out there?
Politician: “I am member of this party because I like its ideology”
Other politicians: “HOW DARE YOU”.
Who’s cancelling who again?
I can’t stand Lalieux but in this case isn’t it just a deliberate misinterpretation?
My reading of “je fais plaisir à l’ensemble des communes et en particulier, évidemment, aux communes socialistes” is that she just means that her measures, investments in social housing and sports facilities, will make everyone happy, but they’re particularly likely to please communes that vote socialist. Which isn’t very shocking.
All animals are equal but some are more equal than others