The Dutch cabinet was in crisis talks on Thursday as a row over the citizenship of Somali-born politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali led to calls for the dismissal of Rita Verdonk, the hard-line immigration minister.D66, the junior member of a three-party centre-right ruling coalition said it would quit the government – leaving it to govern as a minority or call a snap general election - unless Mrs Verdonk resigned.
The threat came as politicians sought to establish whether Ms Hirsi Ali was put under pressure to sign a declaration accepting blame for the passport affair, thereby vindicating Mrs Verdonk.
| Verdonk is a huge liability at this point. |
| but in fact, using her grandfather's name can be construed as legal since it is one tradition in Somalia |
The affair caused international outrage and embarrassment for the government.
Foreign media branded the Netherlands intolerant and accused it of expelling Ms Hirsi Ali. She had renounced her Muslim faith to campaign against radical Islam, and scripted the film Submission whose director Theo van Gogh was murdered, triggering death threats that forced her into hiding.
Ordered by the government and parliament to resolve the affair, Mrs Verdonk on Tuesday said Ms Hirsi Ali could keep her passport. Inquiries had established that she was entitled to use the name Ali which was her grandfatherÂ’s name. The question of her age was of minor concern.
Mrs Verdonk survived a motion of no-confidence, with the support of her own free-market VVD and the Christian Democrat Alliance party of premier Jan Peter Balkenende, in an all-night parliamentary debate which finished at 5.30am on Thursday. That did not satisfy D66, which insisted that Mrs Verdonk resign anyway. The cabinet was in crisis talks to try to resolve the situation on Thursday afternoon. Both the CDA and VVD parties back Mrs Verdonk.
Ms Hirsi Ali had told the VVD in 2002 prior to her selection as an MP, that she had given a false name in her asylum application. Gerrit Zalm, deputy prime minister and a VVD politician, has confirmed he was aware of her status.
However in her declaration this week, Ms Hirsi Ali said she “regretted misleading” Mrs Verdonk who she said could not have known the facts.
She later told Dutch television she had signed the declaration for “pragamatic” reasons because resolving the issue speedily was “much more important for me than a bit of pride”.
Wouter Bos, leader of PvdA called the affair “a white-wash”. “The minister behaved shamefully in order to save face,” he said. Femke Halsema, leader of the Green Party which tabled the no-confidence motion, called Mrs Verdonk's actions an "abuse of power".
Mrs Verdonk, a former deputy prison warden, refuted the suggestions. However her cause was not helped when Mr Balkenende told parliament the declaration had to be expressed in terms that Mrs Verdonk “could live with”. He later withdrew that comment, which he said had been misunderstood.
| oh, I think it was understood quite clearly. |