This Wednesday, Jan Jambon was present on the set of the Vier channel talkshow “De Tafel van Vier”. During the broadcast, the Flemish Minister-President was invited to speak about the speed marathon which was in progress. The N-VA politician explained that he had not seen a control and that it was double good news: firstly because it means that the police were well hidden and secondly that his driver did not had not been flashed.
But who pays the fine for speeding? Him or his driver? A question to which Jan Jambon answered without language of month: “To be honest, if it is me who gives the instruction to go a little faster, then it is me”, he declared.
Words that caused a huge reaction. Stijn Bex, parliamentarian Groen reminded that “the number of road victims is not decreasing”. “Speed is the number one cause of death on the roads, and now our Minister-President proudly tells us that he does not hesitate to break these laws… He thus spits in the face of all the relatives of road victims” , did he declare. Stijn Bex did not fail to recall that, in 2016, Jan Jambon had been flashed at 150 km / h.
« Shame on you »
MP Vooruit Joris Vandenbroucke also denounced Jan Jambon’s irresponsibility on Twitter: “Shame on you”, he said.
The Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters evokes very unfortunate remarks. “The speed limit is the safety limit,” she recalls. “Awareness is still needed, because speed continues to kill.”
In the south of the country too, Jan Jambon’s statements made people cringe, like the spokesperson for the Minister for Mobility Elke van den Brandt.
Jan Jambon wanted to react following these numerous reactions, via his office: “Road safety always takes precedence, even if he is late for an appointment. […] The Minister-President responded honestly by saying that he sometimes asked his driver to press the button. It rarely happens, but we can’t say it doesn’t happen. There is then a risk of driving too fast and receiving a fine, but this is absolutely not a call to drive too fast”.