The forced resignation this week of Italian minister for reform and devolution for wearing a T-shirt decorated with offensive Danish cartoons could have serious implications for the governing coalition in the upcoming April elections, writes Samia Nkrumah Italian minister for reform and devolution Roberto Calderoli's party, the Northern League, is a partner in the centre-right governing coalition and it is the same party that was responsible for the fall of the first Berlusconi government in 1994. Number three in his party, Calderoli's visibility had increased considerably since the league's leader Umberto Bossi fell ill last year. Just over a week ago, Calderoli appeared on state television and recklessly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a T-shirt decorated with the now famous cartoons originally published by the Danish newspaper Jlands-Posten that proved highly offensive to Muslims worldwide for ridiculing the Prophet Mohamed. Inexplicably, the former minister had not foreseen the consequences of what many describe as an "idiotic" gesture that can only reflect badly on the image of the government of the day. Forceful calls for his resignation came not only from the opposition but coalition partners. Prime Minister Berlusconi distanced himself from Calderoli and asked him to resign. However, the minister only complied after the fatal demonstrations in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the tragic killing of 11 people, revealing the international repercussions of the former reform minister's action. This is not the first time that Calderoli has resigned. A few months ago, the league had expressed disappointment that promised reforms intended to surrender more power to the regional authorities have not been kept. Calderoli resigned in order to put pressure on the government and force the devolution issue to the top of the agenda in parliamentary debates. Eventually, the reform minister withdrew his resignation once the mission was accomplished and the league got its way in parliament on the devolution bill vote. The league's supporters in the north are calling for autonomy in a part of northern Italy they call Padania, a name referring to the Po River. The party is a merger of regional movements in northern Italy. It is believed that Calderoli's party holds between four and six per cent of the votes. Now, weeks before elections, the league is trumpeting its anti-immigrant rhetoric and regionalist platform which to some analysts depicts the Calderoli incident as a natural unfolding of the party's agenda. "The case of Calderoli is not a personal episode triggered by the uncontrollable behaviour of a bizarre personality, rather it is born out of the innate pathology of the league," wrote Eugenio Scalfari in the left-of-the-centre La Repubblica daily which he founded. The Calderoli move is certainly not the only time that his party has embarrassed the government of Silvio Berlusconi. This is only the latest debacle in a trail of controversial gestures by Northern League leaders. Calderoli's party is well known for its anti-immigrant and separatist, regionalist agenda. Speeches and interviews by many of its leaders have been met by angry response not only from immigrant associations and the opposition, but also from within the government. Only a year ago, Northern League leader Bossi had suggested in parliament that police ought to open fire on boats of immigrants approaching Italy's coasts. He later detracted the statement saying he was referring to empty boats. A couple of years earlier, arguing against giving foreigners the same housing rights as Italians, Bossi called African immigrants "bingo-bongos". And Calderoli himself had recently referred to Arab-Israeli journalist, Rula Jebreal, as "tanned" in a television debate programme, underscoring his awkwardness towards non-ethnic Italians and the league's complete isolation on the issue of multi-culturalism in Italy. Ironically, the league is stronger in areas that are in dire need of immigrant workers given the high concentration of factories in the area. A consequence of Calderoli's resignation is his party's belligerence and the possibility that they might decide to go to elections alone rather than with the House of Freedom, an umbrella of parties on the right that make up the present government. The league, which has always had difficult relations with its coalition partners, is now looking more secluded. Another consequence is a growing isolation of the league in society. The Catholic Church came out in favour of dialogue and has strongly opposed Calderoli's action. The Osservatore romano, the official Catholic paper, called Calderoli's gesture "provocative". Archbishop of northern city of Genoa, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone commented that certain people should be sent off to do forced labour to understand the true value of respect. An even stronger rebuke came from the bishop of Bergamo, Calderoli's town. "With this deplorable initiative, Calderoli has neither served his interest, nor that of his city, nor that of Italy," he said. In a conciliatory move, Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini met representatives of Arab countries including Egypt, Libya, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Fini also visited the Rome Mosque, the largest in Europe, where he was received by former ambassador Mario Scajola now president of the World Muslim League in Italy. Scajola had called Caldroni's actions "irresponsible". This is Fini's first visit to the Roman mosque but it is not the first by a top government official. Prime Minister Berlusconi had made an earlier visit in 2002 following his controversial comments on the superiority of Western civilisation.
