The perennial political issue in the Netherlands, of course, is "integration". Immigrants must integrate!
For "newcomers", an apparatus to force them to do so has been developed over years. When they arrive they have to do an "in-citizen-isation course" (language mostly, though in theory it should also be about dutch values and state principles). With a pioneering law, Holland has gone a step further still: new immigrants must now succesfully complete their "in-citizen-isation course" in their home country already before they're even allowed in.
But what to do about "oldcomers"? Immigrants who came when there was no in-citizen-isation course yet? The Immigration Minister tried to push through laws that would force them to take a course after all, but the courts rejected the implied imposition of duty on the basis of origin as unconstitional. An alternative categorisation that would oblige tons of native Dutchmen to take the course too was deemed impractical by parliament.
So, they're still looking for solutions. Apparently, a new idea was a "naturalisation day", to encourage immigrants to give up their home country citizenship and actually become Dutch instead, I suppose.
But how much more Dutch do Ali and Ahmed really need to become still? The cartoon is also a play on the prole language of angry resentment that voters of the Fortuynist populist right are famous for.
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FOKKE & SUKKE
are already perfectly in-citizen-ised
- An invitation for naturalisation day...
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God damn it! What a waste of money!!! Cant those high folks in The Hague think of anything better to do??!!
