If our freely elected representatives cannot make unpleasant but crucial decisions, while there is war next door and our neighbor is becoming nastier by the minute, questions arise about the ability of leaders to perform in a real crisis, former Justice Minister Rein Lang writes.
A newspaper recently wrote that politicians seem to be out of ideas. I cannot agree. They seem to be as plentiful as colorful leaves in autumn, at least coming from the direction of leading social democrats. We can learn about how things should be from a man wearing a red tie on “Aktuaalne kaamera” news every night. One day we need to ban religious organizations, the next, it’s involving the security services in compiling voter lists. Not to mention attempts to call into question free market economy.
The team of the man in the red tie also managed, with graceful ease, to sink efforts to dial back administrative spending. At the same time, all sides to the coalition are busy boasting how they’ve cut over €300 million in state spending, with all three parties having taken painful decisions.
A closer look – and it does take time and patience to arrive at this conclusion – reveals that virtually nothing will be cut from the state apparatus. The officials can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Culture and sports spending will amount to around €350 million in 2025. The mouthpiece for the man in the red tie’s team (the editor-in-chief of a state-run publishing house) writes how the sum should be at least double. That this would be fair and that everyone would then be happy!
In truth, they already are, as local governments are paying almost as much for sports and culture as their central counterpart. In other words, the state is spending well over €700 million on the field all told, which is relatively a lot more than in almost any other OECD member. But apparently, it’s still an unfair pittance.
That is when the man in the red tie’s team dispatches simple-minded protesters to demand justice in front of the government building. It soon turns out that most protesters had no idea their salaries do not come from the government but rather from legal persons in private law, which are free as birds when deciding their expenses.
The amount of available money has long since stopped being the problem in national culture and sports support, with the mechanism of how it is distributed at fault instead. The inability to make sensible and necessary decisions from society’s point of view. It is still the case of connections or being able to raise the most hell winning the day when it comes down to brass tacks. Will new works or the process of their creation automatically ensure the survival of the Estonian language and culture, irrespective of the result?
The problem goes beyond culture. As in past years, the process of putting together the state budget saw involvement from all manner of movers and shakers and their companies. Those who were more successful at coming up with and getting their narratives out there did well, while no one really did poorly. Except, of course, the taxpayer.
For a decade now, we’ve been promised a critical review of state spending and an end to the squandering of resources. We even changed the way we budget public spending. But it all turned out the way it always does.
In truth, citizens should be even more worried than in previous years. If our freely elected representatives cannot make unpleasant but crucial decisions, in a situation where there is war next door and our neighbor is becoming nastier by the minute, it inevitable raises the question of leadership ability in a real crisis.
There is always the chance that everything will turn out fine. That free people will find ways of making money and improving their lives, that they’ll grit their teeth, pay their taxes and rail against the government and its squandering at the dinner table. However, recent statements by the man in the red tie suggest his team feels said freedom needs limiting. If this happens, that chance of things turning out well will disappear.
—
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!