june 30 2006, The Netherlands
The Dutch Government has resigned
The facts.

I'm amazed that the foreign media report so wrongly about the fact that our government has fallen and the reasons for it.
So here are the facts.

A woman Hir... A.. came here as an asylum seeker and gave a wrong name.
She got a passport.. don't ask me how she got through the mazes of the law.

The woman is a great actress, with a hidden agenda.. and has very outspoken opinions.
She got attention. It was in a time that most people kept rather quiet and were not used on forcing opinions on others.
She was asked to become part of a political party.
Then switched when they didn't offer her what she wanted.... back-up for her stirring opinions.

She met one of the most controversial people of our country and made a movie with him.
She said to adress abuse in the house, but in fact the movie was a violation of religious laws and disrespecting them.
It was not my religion they targetted, but it made me mad, because we're used to give other people the freedom to have their own feelings and religion.

But in this time of polarisation and hardening, she got even more attention and raised the numbers of votes for that political party, so instead of telling her off, they said they admired her for taking the freedom to make that movie.

The other person was, as I said, very controversial. He was always out on hurting people, confronting in a strange way to get a discussion. He walked a very thin line beside discrimination, racism, etc etc. but was tolerated because freedom of speech was said to be of the utmost importance.
He was killed. And the media jumped on it. Saying it was because he practiced freedom of speech.
The murderer however never claimed it was because of that. He never gave his motive.

This all got that woman even more in the eyes of the press.
She was threatened, and she got expensive protection and a place to live.
One way or another she managed to get the media focus their attention on her every single week. Well, she was very good on the screen, could have been a successfull model.

In the meantime we got a minister that didn't like asylumseekers and fugitives.
She forgot many people leave our country to live in other countries to farm and such, and got many votes because she said the asylumseekers were taking our jobs.
But in fact these people were kept in a kind of prisons (with open doors), living and sleeping with a family in a room of 3x4. Inhuman conditions. They stayed there for 3 or more years, and weren't allowed to work or go to school.

That's not what I think is right.

Many times there were problems in the government because of her mistakes or lack of obeying the rules.

People were so desperate....
Before moving people out of the country they were put in prison. Sometimes even without giving them the chance to say goodbye to their family.
One of these people put his cell of the jail at schiphol on fire.
11 people were killed, because the guardians had shut down the alarm system and couldn't respond to the fire alarm untill it was far too late.

An investigation was ordered, and pending it, the people there were moved to other prisons and should have counselling, and were not allowed to leave the country.
They didn't get counselling and even their attorneys weren't allowed to have contact.
Before the investigation was ended, people were forcefully removed from the country.

It made me sick to hear this.
But again that woman minister talked herself free of any blame.

It was mistake after mistake and many people couldn't understand why she wasn't removed from the government.
When people at high places make mistakes they have to go. But she didn't go.

Then it turned out Hir... A.. had used another name to get a passport. She said she had lied about her name. And it turned out that it was accepted that she entered the country with one name and used another one after she was accepted.

Again a lot of turmoil.. The minister said she was allowed to keep her passport one day, the next she said she shouldn't have gotten a passport in the first place. She was illegal in our country.

Well, that gave a huge problem.
How can someone be part of a political party and the parliament when she is illegal.

So either it had to be smoothened out, or the woman in question should leave the country, without a Dutch passport.

Hir... A.. resigned from political life. Which she would have done anyway because she already had accepted a job abroad.

There were many calls to treat her the same way as other asylumseekers...

But.... Hir... A.. had moved to the uni ted st ates on a Dutch passport and had taken a rather important job (she doesn't deserve...).
This was a huge complication, because how could they withdraw a passport america already had accepted??

An investigation was started.......

The minister decided that the women could keep her passport.

So people said that the old asylumseekers cases should be reviewed, as many people should have been rejected in the same situation.

The minister said that both names the woman had used were allowed as they were both legal in somalia.
But we don't allow the law of outher countries to be used in our country.... So she got stuck in her own reasoning.

The goverment asked an official declaration of her...

She came with one: Hir... A.. gave a declaration that she had lied about lying about her name.

During a governmental debate it turned out that the minister had forced her to give this declaration. And the prime minister was present at the time.

But they still couldn't account for the fact that Hir... A.. also had said she lied about her birthdate.... There can only be one birthdate.

D66, a governmental party, but a little one, said they had no confidence anymore in the minister.
There was a vote to get her out, but it failed.

The prime minister said they would neglect this vote of lack of confidence and matters would go on like usual.

But it's not acceptable civilians are forced to give declarations to keep ministers on their posts.

So D66 gave a statement that they couldn't agree with this way of life and resigned from the government.

Still the prime minister said they would go on.. even without that little party it would be possible to rule.

But this government already had so many people against them the past years because they kept backing up the mentioned minister and because of other indicents and decisions, that the people raised their voice against a minister forcing someone to give a declaration... a government never should force people this way.

So the prime minister could do nothing else than to hand in the resignation of the whole government.

And right at this moment he's speaking with the Queen.
She decides after hearing important people, what is the best way to deal with these matters.

We will have to cast new votes..probably in december.
But untill then the government can be either a minority government: meaning that the government, without D66, goes on handling matters untill the elections, or it will be a demissionary government, meaning that it's not allowed to make new decisions. They only can handle current, ongoing matters.

We're curious what will be decided, as part of our army goes to Afghanistan in august and when a government can't make decisions, it might not be of benefit for our soldiers.

So...now you have the true story.
Lying won't pay.
And citisens shouldn't be forced to give declarations to keep a minister in a governmental seat.