Bearing the burden of rose-coloured glasses

Tuuli Koch
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Photo: Liis Treimann / Postimees

Andrus Ansip, on his final day as Prime Minister, thanks the people of Estonia for the honour shown to him, for the work accomplished together, and the burden mutually borne.

According to Andrus Ansip (57), who this afternoon trusts a new prime minister with the job done for nine years, and with his closest assistants, says his hardest time was pre-crisis Estonia. The trouble already in the air, he did not know how to share it with the nation, as it did not seem just.

Can you imagine today that one day, like Siim Kallas – perhaps a bit more successfully – you will return to be prime minister?

Nine years is quite a long time and everything has its beginning and its end. In Estonian conditions, nine years is a remarkably long time; and even in European context – I’m still the longest serving prime minister in European Union.

It is an honour to empty the chair for new people, a year before elections. Voters must be able to vote for or against the incumbent prime minister. I am not stepping down for external pressure, this is an old decision.

Was this a tactically wise decision, to announce your departure two years ago?

What does one mean by tactics? In that sense, I’m convinced it was right in principle. Was it right tactically...

That could be discussed, as in our atmosphere it happened that everyone came under attack who may have been considered my successor. At the same time, I have tried to hold my back straight, and I think there’s value in being able to be sure of something. Yes, it launched attacks, but I’m convinced that whatever will happen is worth it.

I’m very thankful for the people of Estonia for these years. It’s been a time of great responsibility, and also a great honour. I am one of the few who have had this honour.

Sad over departure?

Yes, a bit. Even so, there’s no outside pressure for me to leave. Last Friday, the polls said the government is trusted by 46 percent of the nation- That, to the European backdrop, is a very high percentage, as the European average id 23 percent. When Juhan Parts left, 31 per cent trusted the government; when Mart Laar left, it was 25 percent.

Few prime ministers may choose the time of their departure. Usually, it comes by scandals – either there’s «no confidence» or one survives it but still opts to step down; or the new elections draw the line and the former prime minister is not elected again. My decision is good for me and my party.

Or maybe the times of those like Taavi Rõivas, Anne Sulling and Sven Mikser is here to stay?

Well it is a time of change when a prime minister aged 57 is replaced by one aged 34. Nothing remarkable, though.

Probably, Estonia will yet have some older prime ministers and some even younger than Mart Laar at 32. Nothing revolutionary here.

The age is not what counts. The age isn’t what gives weight to messages. The messages must have content.

The government stepping into office tonight is quite different. Feel some envy?

Sure it’s different. Good for the new government if the outgoing prime minister is not criticising the new government and its policies, its members. I will limit myself to my nine years in office and will not go for 10 or 13 years in office, without being prime minister myself.

I don’t desire to hand directions or pass assessments to the new coalition. Even so, I stand ready to help the new prime minister, always, in what has been. To explain decisions, provide factual material.

What will your morning look like, tomorrow?

I will go to Riigikogu and work as its member! Well it’s going to be a bit different, this morning tomorrow.

Frightened by this different kind of awakening?

No, what do I have to fear. My decision has been thoroughly weighed. I’m quite convinced that my decision to step back was right. And when one is convinced that one is doing what is right, there’s nothing to fear.

There’s some little sadness, sure, as I’m leaving many people with whom I have had excellent working relations. That’s so with any job – it’s always hard to leave long-term companions. Whether you’re prime minister or a long-time teacher. Every end is the beginning of something new, and no doubt it will be exciting.

What will the new beginning be like?

Time will tell, but for now I have tuned myself to work in Riigikogu. A lot has been said about me stepping to the EU commissioner post; but that’s a path highly indefinite so today I may only say that it the door opens I will be interested. But I’m also ready to run for Riigikogu again, at the elections.

I am not intending to leave Estonian politics. I intent to stay as long as voters support me.

A couple of years ago you admitted to me that you were unwilling to become an EU commissioner, as you were fed up with living in debt. Debt towards your family. No escaping the debt burden now?

Yes ... That’s no normal life, being away from your wife and child during the workdays. One does feel like a debtor.

The Tartu Mayor chair was vacant!

Yes, I did the job with dedication for six years and that was a time long enough, to give the best I had to give; and I don’t believe that after the experience of working as prime minister I’d have more to give to Tartu as I did while mayor of it.

In the life in Brussels – and that’s highly hypothetical – I would not live apart from my family. Our youngest daughter would be willing to join us and my wife would agree to live in Brussels for some time – not too happily, but still.

What would be the teaching that you have received, personally, from being prime minister?

For me, these have been good years. There have been harder times, and times less hard. I have been working just the same. It’s not up to the job, how great the dedication, It’s up to the person.

For me, these were very good years, filled with responsibility. And I have liked the work. Even when I have been criticised, even when it has been hard.

Many have said my hardest times were when we had to take the Bronze Soldier to the cemetery. Not true. The hardest time as prime minister were the times before the recession. It was hard to gather reserves for the state, because even when the economy was growing fast, there were those who thought that it would really speed up as we assume a decent loan!

Before the crisis, there were many who knew that growth is followed by downturn; nevertheless, they still wanted to tap the reserves. That was the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008,  as described by the sentence I said: «If this is crisis, then that’s the crisis I would like to live in.»

Let’s think back – was that really a crisis?! In 2007, the economy grew 7.5 percent; we were able to gather 6.5 billion kroons into the reserves; unemployment was 3.8 percent. Even when looking back, I say: if that’s crisis, I’d live in it.

There’s no colleague I have in Europe who wouldn’t like to live in a «crisis» like that. It is expedient for a state and a nation to sometimes have someone stubborn as prime minister, not some jelly-like fellow ever ready to yield to pressure, assuming the shape of the vessel.

But the time when I was blind, so to say, «wearing the rose-coloured glasses», the pressure lasted very long. That was a long-lasting opposition and quite unequal. The party was on, but still they said we should take a loan but «that guy will not allow». Boosting the economy even more, with extra money, would have been a crime. The outcome would have been quite disastrous.

But the people rose to the occasion, tried hard at austerity. Was there a time when you knowingly did not want to utter the bad news? When the rose-coloured glasses were rosy to the max?

No, the sense of crisis came before the crisis hit. It came almost with the Bronze Soldier. Should we have started to boost the economy, which had obviously overheated, considerable damage would have been caused to the state – it would have resulted in 30 percent added loan burden for governmental sector.

I could never claim we were world champions at cutting, far from that! When, in 2009 budget spending was 87.3 billion kroons after all the cuts, having been 90.1 billion kroons in 2008 i.e. spending only shrunk by 2.8 billion kroons, then... I beg your pardon. That’s not Baltic championship level, we’d be the last.

This is not world or European class cutting. We ourselves believe we cut like crazy, but the belief comes from having cut our dreams, the dreams that had been written in the 2008 budget. We cut minimally.

But people felt left alone, that «they» decide, somewhere ...

... that’s not quite true that people felt like that too much. The credibility of our government has been good and it has not been declining, it has been rising. In Europe, only the very rich and very old democracies are ahead of us in trust, like Sweden, Austria, Finland, Denmark.

Therefore, purely scientifically it is not possible to claim that the people and the state grew extremely distant. And even less can it be claimed that the alienation is growing.

But the feeling was different! Or are you still unwilling to admit that, at one moment, there was a huge gap between the power and the people?

Rather, it was the gap between Anvar Samost and the government. Rather, also, some journalists distanced themselves from the people and the opinion of the people and did not reflect life as it was. There was a time when some journalists rather regarded journalism as a Leninist collective organiser and did not focus on finding out the truth, to strive towards the truth.

Partly, I very much agree; but journalism need also to be critical.

There was a time when seeking for the truth was forgotten. That’s not the task for journalism.

When the times were tough and the state choked itself with cuts, the common Estonian still said: «Go figure this Ansip, but at least he took the Bronze Soldier away.» The rest was often forgiven. Was that high time to remove it?

It was high time. All analysis by special service explicitly said that the source of tensions needs to be removed from Tõnismägi.

If it’s not dome at once, being postponed by three years, then the cost paid by the society would be much higher. As the tensions around the monument were not caused by the government, it was orchestrated from a place more distant.

The government did what it was supposed to do. In a crisis situation, one takes decisions much faster. That was not some great bravery, it just had to be done. It was long overdue!

The Bronze Night and the years after that also altered the former political situation of Estonia. As Edgar Savisaar went to ask the Russian money, you said it was «detestable», that a person like this has no place in Estonian politics. The President said the same. A political leader was pushed aside and, considering the current utterances by Mr Savisaar, rightfully so?

Yes ... I still did consider Mr Savisaar and Estonian-minded person, till the Bronze Riots. But after that the trust was totally lost. In my opinion, he has long ceased to stand for Estonia, and that’s a pity.

Have you been betrayed? By your own?

No. Betrayal is a hard word, too, and I would not use it in relationships between people. Let’s take the so-called financing scandal, say: bank accounts of 80 people were opened, 60 people were interrogated, the result was zero.

Silver Meikar, whom I do not consider to be an honest person, was the sole source, supported by the likes of Olari Taal and Jüri Mõis, with whom Reform Party has nothing in common. Meanwhile, A Riigikogu member’s telephone is being bugged, for 20 days, based on a statement of a person criminally punished at least five times.

The proportions are out of whack. I think the new government should definitely deal with these things. And this isn’t Estonia’s problem only. The lines between what is and isn’t allowed must be talked over; and it’s Estonia’s turn it seems.

The striving by journalists towards honesty, objectivity, and truth, was delivered quite a blow in this case. Also like when papers dating 20 years back were brought out against Siim Kallas, now – I say that most of the people interested in the topic condemned the method how a person was attacked.

Of course it’s normal to be interested, to want to know how things really were! But the timing, the way how the so-called interest was shown, that the people will not accept. These are very delicate issues.

Will Siim Kallas be coming back?

Probably he will be coming back, to Estonia. But into politics? I don’t dare say. He has not ruled out running for Riigikogu, perhaps. But obviously the attempted comeback was, for him, a huge disappointment. Usually, he doesn’t easily give up.

Commander of Defence Forces, Major-General Riho Terras gave you an interesting parting gift – a weapon. What did he say, as he handed that to you?

He thanked me for strengthening the defence capability of the nation, and the attention paid to defence forces. A weapon bearing a name is high recognition, this is not the usual; it was a great honour. This is a large calibre pistol, a Colt M1911; the calibre is 11.43 millimetres. A really big calibre.

A worthy gift to a politician of high calibre, wishing him real good luck.

I’m really thankful, and happy for the recognition. Since the Anniversary of the Republic speech, in Tartu, at Vanemuine, I’ve gotten lots of e-mails, lots of SMS-messages.

Saying ...

... thank you! And, surely, I’m happy! The rule of thumb, you see, is don’t try to please everybody. If you want to be supported by 30 percent of voters, then 50 percent will not only not love you, but will deeply hate you.

I’ve been lucky as a politician. I’ve had many strong supporters and also haters. Once again – I’m very thankful for the time. Very thankful to the people of Estonia, for what we have accomplished together. That’s a great honour. These aren’t just words, but come from my heart.

Thank you.

Thanks.

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