It took about nine years for Groenlinks to come out from the closet of shy multiculturalism, and write a manifest celebrating the growing generation of cosmopolitans that, coming from the south and being born in the north, decided to make from The Netherlands their country. As a matter of fact, we should be happy that Tofik Dibi once and for all recognizes the value of a rising class of dutch people, actually of european people, that does not recognize itself in the silly debate of pro and against Wilders. The world in which we are living today is much more rich than the simplistic manicheism used by Wilders now, and before by Fortuin and Verdonk. Reasons enough to celebrate Tofik's manifest.

A detailed reading of it, such as the one made by Bas Heijne in the NRC, let us know how far we still has to go. Yes, it was time for somebody in the body politic of this country to say that allochtonen are much more than scary caricatures. A recognition, though, is only a begin. Because it is not enough to claim that a group has big potentialities. The real problems that allochtonen face today in Europe are not going to fade away by recognizing that we are way cooler than Wilder's pompadour. Some of us might be very cool. But that does not get us a job, nor diminish any of the myriad of forms in which discrimination works.

If Groenlinks want to play a relevant role in the making of our society, embedded in a country that becomes more kleurrijk by the minute, Tofik's manifesto is a start. The real challenge ahead is faced by Groenlinks' election program writers. Are we capable to match the elan from Tofik with hard core measures? The discussion on inburgering today is stagnated in getting as much people as possible, independently of their age, to talk better dutch. Is that all that we have to offer to the newcomer? I hope not, I know that the dutch society has much more to offer: jobs, education, participation... How these issues come to play a role in an appropriated inburgerings course? That is an important question that so far has received precious little attention. And for the ones of us -allochtonen- that are not newcomers any longer: how is a government with Groenlinks going to influence our life? Shall we finally see anti-discrimination measures that give us a fair chance to get a job?

After the disappointingly poor declarations of Femke Halsema about the head scarves, and even after the small minded expulsion of Tariq Ramadam from R'dam's university, the manifesto from Tofik is a fresher breeze coming from the creme of Groenlinks leaders. By far and large, it is not enough and happens rather late. But it's a good start. And it is never too late to start saying the good things. Now, let's see if we can back our statements with policy.