A major policy shake-up that Dutch politician Geert Wilders said would lead to a drastic cut in the non-Western immigration was never likely to have such a radical effect.   

A Justice ministry policy document used during the talks that led to the current Dutch government – a minority coalition of the free-market liberal VVD party and the Christian Democrats (CDA), reliant on support from the anti-Islamic Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders – was made public on Tuesday evening. The document outlines a number of proposals that - as it states - would cut immigration by at least five percent and 15 percent at most.

This is nowhere near the 50 percent reduction in non-Western immigration claimed by Geert Wilders during the debate on the new government's policy plans. At that time Mr Wilders said: “The more we deviate from that 50 percent, the more difficult it will be for [the PVV], and so, for the cabinet”.

In order to win Mr Wilders’ support in parliament (the PVV's votes give the government a majority of one in the lower house), the cabinet promised to reform immigration policy. One change would involve the withdrawal of state subsidies for integration courses and their replacement with loans to the 'integrating' students.

But the cabinet’s main goal was to “control and curb” new immigration, especially in the case of immigration by marriage. It also announced plans to ban the wearing of the Islamic face-covering veil in public, and to prohibit police officers and workers in judicial institutions from wearing Islamic headscarves.

Not 50 percent
The internal report made public on Tuesday identifies nine specific measures taken from the draft government policy programme. The report says “... these measures will result in a five to ten percent reduction in the immigration flow”. The document was accompanied by an introductory letter - dated 30 August 2010 - written by the then justice minister, CDA politician Ernst Hirsch Ballin.

Two realities
Opposition parties say they were aghast on hearing the figures revealed in the report. Green Left MP Tofik Dibi spoke of two versions of 'reality':

“The world of the experts who present the facts to us and the world of Prime Minister Rutte, who gave a press conference together with Mr Verhagen and Mr Wilders. The gap between the two realities couldn’t be wider.” 

Since presenting their figures on stemming immigration, the Freedom Party has been queried about them on several occasions in parliament. Just two weeks, PVV MP Sietse Fritsma said in a parliamentary debate that he based his " minus 50 percent" aim on figures released by the justice ministry – the same figures that came to light on Tuesday evening and projected a 15 percent reduction at most.

“Mr Wilders is not honest with his voters,” claims D66 democrat party MP Gerard Schouw. Socialist Party MP Sharon Gesthuizen is demanding an explanation. “The cabinet’s target on immigration reduction won’t be met – not by a long shot. If it is, then I’m a Christmas tree,” she said.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide