The shorter last post

Is Lubbers guilty or innocent?

If you want the summary, read on. If you want the entire story, scroll onwards. Why o why can't I just place long posts below the fold. I want a fold.

Lubbers was accused of groping a woman after a meeting in 2003, and, notwithstanding that two witnesses were present who both denied the groping, an internal UN investigation found him guilty although no substantial evidence could be presented.

That investigation was performed by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), led by Under-Secretary General Dileep Nair.

Mr. Nair was responsible for the investigation into the Oil-for-food scandal. That is, until it was handed over to Paul Volcker. This may have something to do with the fact that, at the insistence of such luminaries as Benon Sevan, prior to Mr. Volckers appointment the investigation was going nowhere.

In 2004, Nair was investigated for unspecified internal accusations of graft and sexual harassment against female staff; on November 17, 2004, Secretary General Kofi Annan accepted a report clearing Nair of the charges. Annan's acceptance of the report prompted the UN staff union to call a vote of no confidence and withdraw support from Annan. Nair is slated to relinquish his post upon expiration of his five year contract and return to his native Singapore in April of 2005.

How's that for calling the kettle black?

Now, what do I think of Lubbers?

I think he's a smart and able administrator. He studied economy in Rotterdam under Nobel Laureate Tinbergen, his main interest being monetary policy. He graduated cum laude.

Although he comes from a wealthy family (he managed the family firm with his two brothers for seven years) he entered politics as Minister of Economic Affairs in 1973. In 30 years of politics, I can point to only two scandals: in 1978 it turned out the Lubbers family had an investment firm which had enjoyed large, unwarranted tax deductions. And in 1989 Lubbers (accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Van den Broek) visited Kuwait on official state business. However, it was widely understood they went to sort out a contract dispute between the Kuwaitis and Hollandia Kloos, the Lubbers family firm.

And yes, he has a reputation as a womanizer. But as far as I know, always a womanizer of the "gentlemanly" sort, not a "gropinator". So no, I do not think he grabbed the woman at the meeting. Some of the other stories in the OIOS report, which pertray him as coming on to women, seem much more plausible to me, were it not for the fact that the women in question refused to sign their testimony even under garantuee of anonymity.

It's obvious to me that this investigation has been used to haunt Lubbers from office. Wether to get at him personnally, or just to smear the UN, I don't know. But I am convinced that Dileep Nair had a hidden agenda with this extremely biased report. What I don't know is if this hidden agenda is his own or if someone owns him. I cannot tell you much about the accusation except that there is no way it would stand in a court of law. It doesn't matter, because Lubbers resigned. You can read his farewell address to the UNHCR here. Being a rich man, he refused a salary for his work as High Commissioner.

That said, I never liked the man. Not because I disliked him personally, but because he was the leader of the Christian Democrats, and his popularity (as an administrator) boosted the support for the socially conservative Christian Democrats. It was only when he retired from national politics that it was possible to form a government without them.

As Karel van het Reve once quipped, the last time the Christians were in the opposition in the Netherlands was when Boniface was murdered in Dokkum 1251 years ago.

UPDATE:
Ruud Lubbers addressed the staff of the UNHCR in a farewell speech yesterday. They gave him a standing ovation. According to the UNHCR-site:

Mr. Lubbers received several minutes of warm applause from staff – many with tears in their eyes – lining all levels of the seven-storey atrium.

FURTHER UPDATE:
The NY Sun speculates that Dileep Nair will be fired by Annan even though he's set to retire next April.