Political appointments are back (in the spotlights)
Both the federal and the Flemish governments in recent days appointed people to higher management positions primarily based on their party membership. Although the political appointments are reported in all media, the protest is minimal.
Decades ago, political nominations (“politieke benoemingen”, as they are called) were the rule. Politicians in power appointed loyal collaborators to the top of ministries and public companies. This gave their political party long-lasting power and influence. But because loyalty didn’t always go hand in hand with competence, criticism grew. Procedures were put in place to ensure public managers had the talent and experience for the job.
‘Political appointments 2.0’ combine competence and loyalty. For example, the Flemish government appointed two top managers accordingly. One from socialist party Vooruit to head an agency under the competence of Vooruit minister Caroline Gennez. One from Flemish nationalist party N-VA to head the ministry of mobility, under the competence of N-VA minister Annick De Ridder. According to newspaper De Standaard, both men are competent and experienced, but their appointment is also based on the expectation they will fully support the policies of ‘their’ ministers.
Controversy
A political appointment made by the federal government is much more controversial. Last Friday, Axel Miller was appointed president of the public investment company SFPIM. It was up to the francophone liberal party MR, to nominate somebody for the job, and MR president Georges-Louis Bouchez pushed for Miller.
Many people see Miller as incompetent. As a former top manager in the private sector, he has a track record of costly failures. His most costly failure is the bankruptcy of the Dexia bank. This was during the banking crisis some 15 years ago. The problems of Dexia were partly due to options decided by Miller as Dexia CEO.
On top of this track record, the investment company SFPIM is now the owner of Belfius, a public bank that rose from the ashes of Dexia. There is talk of privatizing Belfius. This means it would be up to Miller to accompany that process.
For many, this is a bridge too far. But in Belgium, when it’s the turn of a given political party to appoint somebody, coalition partners don’t obstruct. Because if they do, the obstruction will return as a boomerang when it’s the turn of that obstructing political party to appoint somebody.
#FlandersNewsService | Axel Miller © BELGA PHOTO LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ
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