After two days of heated debate, a slim majority of Dutch MPs have voted in favour of sending a police training mission to Afghanistan.

The decision comes nearly a year after the last government collapsed in a dispute over extending military deployment in the war-torn country.

And the decision wasn’t much easier this time around. The Green Left party has surprised - and deeply angered - its voters by supporting the mission, despite successfully demanding that conservative Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s minority cabinet make certain concessions.

Rutte needed the Green Left support because Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam PVV party – on which the government depends for a parliamentary majority – opposed the mission.

Green Left’s struggle
Green Left struggled hard with the decision. The party demanded a written guarantee from Kabul that police trained by the Dutch would not be used in any military action.

Rutte assuaged Green Left’s fears and said that he “would propose to end the mission… if it transpires that people are not keeping to the agreement.”

One Green Left MP voted against the mission and many voters have voiced their anger with the party on social media.

Other party conflicts
The Christian Union and the democrat D66 party were also convinced to vote in favour of the mission after receiving enough assurances that it had a civil rather than a military nature.

Meanwhile, Job Cohen’s Labour party had submitted a motion to parliament to oppose the Afghan mission and was supported by the Socialist Party.

Justified
Green Left’s leader, who ultimately held the power to endorse or reject the mission, has denied capitulation. Jolande Sap stresses that both Green Left and D66 tabled a motion last year to send Dutch police trainers to Afghanistan.

She said the Prime Minister’s original proposal did not reflect her party’s policy but that the concessions made over the past few days were enough to justify its support. 

“Jolande Slap”
But green voters aren‘t happy with that explanation. Polls show that close to 80 percent of Green Left voters are against backing the mission. Reactions slamming the party’s decision are pouring in on national and social media.

Jolande Sap is being dubbed “Jolande Slap” or “weak Jolande”. “Bye, bye Green Left” writes a voter in response to an article in daily De Telegraaf. “The love for America is going too far,” says another. Still another reader claims that Ms Sap’s move will send voters en masse into the honest arms of the PVV, Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam party.

Earlier this morning, political activist and Afghanistan expert Sietse Bosgra announced on national radio he was leaving Green Left.

And it’s not just voters who are angry. In defiance of the party’s position, Green Left MP Ineke van Gent voted against the mission. She said that after “long and difficult deliberation”, she decided she couldn’t ignore the wishes of the majority of her party members.

Consequences
Only last month Jolande Sap stepped into the shoes of Femke Halsema, who decided to retire for personal reasons. Next week, Green Left will hold its annual conference and Ms Sap’s position as party leader will undoubtedly be put under close scrutiny. To win back voters, she will have to talk her way out of the brown paper bag she seems to have talked herself into.

(jn/ae)

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