[UPDATE I 06/29/2006] Both Verdonk and the Dutch cabinet are in trouble. Last night the junior coalition partner withdrew support for minister Verdonk. Verdonk may have to resign to save the cabinet.
[UPDATE II 06/29/2006] The Dutch cabinet fell at around 2100 hours local. Never let it be said Hirsi Ali is not a formidable woman. Even in her fall from grace she managed to take an entire government with her.
Monday night the Dutch core cabinet had a long session at PM Balkenende's work appartment to decide whether or not Hirsi Ali would be allowed her Dutch citizenship or no.
Surprise (not): She may. After all, the damage has been done, she's forced out and the Dutch establishment can tie the ends neatly by 'correcting' the injustice visited upon her by the all too rash decision of Rita Verdonk.
Of course the Dutch truly left are now presented with an excellent opportunity to wet their blades and go after Verdonk for real:
Verdonk is expected to send a letter to parlaiment on Tuesday or Wednesday to explain her about-face in Hirsi Ali's case. The reasoning is that under Somali law a person is entitled to use a grandfather's name.According to RTL television (via Geenstijl, both NL) GroenLinks is out for a motion of distrust, which will probably fail (again!), since the coalition partners still hold a majority.The Minister's letter will be studied closely by MPs who still have not forgiven Verdonk for causing the crisis in the first place.
Left-wing groups will scrutinise it to see if it affords an opportunity for at least 60 other people stripped of their Dutch nationality for giving a false name during the asylum process.
Yesterday on NOVA(NL) it was revealed that Hirsi Ali had to sign a declaration (NL) blaming herself for the whole embarassing situation and absolving Verdonk from any wrongdoing in order to retain her passport. Curious detail: The text of the declaration was written by Verdonks people at the ministry. Asked whether she had to put her pride aside, signing this declaration, Hirsi Ali said: 'Yes, and that shows I've become truly Dutch.' Ouch. So true, but: Ouch
Tonight there's going to be (yet) another emergency session of parliament on this whole thing. The coalition is pretty confident everything will be smoothed over. We'll see.
I don't know, maybe she shouldn't have signed that declaration. But if the government's been brought down, good. They were asking for it, or certainly Verdonk was. Having read a poll that said the Dutch feel that Islam is incompatible with Western values, it's possible that a poll published a few months ago saying they supported banishing Hirsi Ali could've been propaganda. I hope so. And if the government's falled now, they can prove it by voting for a better coalition.
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