Ministers, as long as they are competent – CorrieredelMezzogiorno.it
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NoonOctober 9, 2022 – 09:33 am
from Mario Rusciano
Mr Meloni, after the electoral victory of 25 September, Premier in pectore of the future government. He is therefore studying the dossiers left open by the outgoing government and drawing up the list of ministers. Which he says will be of high profile. He has not yet received the assignment from Mattarella, but he has to burn the times in a tiring and all uphill path. On the one hand, the issues on the table – between war, energy crisis, pandemic, inflation and much more – are very complex and thorny. On the other hand, making up the government structure a problem with an almost always bloody solution (metaphorically). It is not easy (never has been) to hold together the personal aspirations of leaders (large and small) and the expectations of the parties of a victorious coalition in the elections. It is true that not all parties are equally victorious and representative, but all are indispensable to make a majority. A bizarre question: technical ministers or political ministers?
Quite useless and even a little ridiculous diatribe. The obvious answer: technical ministers with political sensitivity and political ministers with technical skills would be needed. First of all, let’s clear the misunderstanding: in parliamentary democracy every government (made up of politicians or technicians) must be considered political in all respects as soon as the confidence of the Parliament, invested by the popular sovereignty expressed by the Chambers, is obtained. But then, on reflection, the figures of the politician and the technician do not exist in nature. At most in nature there are potential raw talents to be refined over time: through, respectively, the study and practice of political training or the achievement of prestigious titles and awards certifying specific skills. In a word, culture (in a broad sense), resulting from the curriculum, which produces real politicians or real technicians. The fact that in recent decades both positions have lost their former luster. As there are no longer any parties structured and rooted in society, there are no longer any political schools where one studies by reading the classics, nor any party sections where one discusses with citizens.
Some good reading and experience in the territories are the first stage of a political career. Today, however, politicians are growing (so to speak) on social networks and in election campaigns. Thus, apart from the ugliness of the swap vote and the corruption of the card lords, people are asserted who pierce the video, coined effective slogans, entertain relations with the press, are well related, between blood families and party currents. Useless people who have studied and study, cultivate ideals and are able to make thoughtful choices rather than ride popular demands of the moment. Of course, these issues are important, especially in times of crisis of exceptional magnitude such as the ones we are going through.
But it is one thing if they are defended by disinterested and common sense people, another thing if they are defended by those who privilege their own interests or those of the party over the general interest. Certainly in theory the general interest would be better defended by technicians, impartial by definition, were it not that they are not always really up to the task, because the excess of specialisms fragments the competence of the whole. Just to give an example: a minister of infrastructure and transport could be competent on infrastructure and know little or nothing about transport. And many other examples could be given. In any case, politicians and technicians always need to be surrounded by experts from various sectors to face the thousand problems that require targeted and detailed solutions.
In the current political situation – but in truth not unlike other situations in more or less recent times – there are pressing aspirations – of well-known and enterprising personalities – not well founded, both technically and politically. The case of the honorable Salvini, the most defeated of the victors, is exemplary. The insistence on returning to the Viminale is surprising to say the least. His previous experience as Interior Minister in the M5S-Lega government, which was not at all brilliant, despite insisting on bragging about it, advances as a decisive title. He continues to praise his security decrees – examples of mediocre legislative bill in the matter – and especially the blockade of immigrant ships. Which cost him the charge of kidnapping: for which, among other things, still on trial. We wish him absolution, of course, but to see a Minister of the Interior accused in court for his previous experience as Interior Minister, frankly disheartening.
Ultimately the dilemma not between technicians and politicians – and of course the speech, as well as for ministers, also applies to regional and municipal councilors – but between competent and incompetent to do good politics once they have passed to govern an institution. Which means first of all having the ability to choose suitable collaborators, in the awareness of the poor quality of our public administrations. Perhaps in other European countries this dilemma is less present precisely because the bureaucracy is more prepared and efficient. It would be nice if politics and administration were together capable of looking far with balance and wisdom in the general interest.
9 October 2022 | 09:33
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