Editing First Balkenende cabinet (section)

===Resignation of State Secretary Bijlhout===
The first scandal in the new government came only nine hours after it took office. [[Philomena Bijlhout]], the State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment and a member of the LPF, resigned after [[RTL 4]] reported that she had been a member of a militia of [[Suriname]]se military dictator [[Dési Bouterse]] in 1982 and 1983. This was during the period when the militia had committed the political murders known as the "[[December Murders]]".  Bijlhout, who was born in Suriname, had never denied being part of the militia, but claimed she'd left prior to the December Murders.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2146966.stm "Dutch minister resigns within hours"], ''BBC News'' (Tuesday, 23 July 2002)</ref>