Editorial: PM and his one dame statement

Photo: Urmas Nemvalts

Hopefully, yesterday’s meeting with the German chancellor Angela Merkel will have a sobering effect on our PM: think before you speak.

Alas, at home we are so used to such use of language by the leading politician of various coalitions that hopes for a change tend to fade.

Even though Mr Ansip meant, while talking about the trial and imprisonment of former Ukrainian PMYulia Tymoshenko, that states should not lay everything on one card – a dame or queen in the deck, in different tongues – it came out ugly.

The witty pun became a sexist statement, as the PM decided to refer to gender. A haughty attitude towards women, lady politicians included, is clearly present on the Estonian political landscape. Let’s be reminded, for example of the Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi’s comments on beautiful eyes and locked lips.

Another shameful aspect is deviating from value based politics. One gets the impression that Estonia, known to value democracy and European freedoms, sands ready to shut its eyes to events in third countries – in the name of lucrative trade.

Mr Ansip’s statement is doubly shameful, considering that the talk was not about Ukrainian-Estonian relations, but those of Ukraine and European Union. Figuratively speaking, in its sexist simplicity, Estonia transferred the attitude to all of EU. And thus the interest groups opposed to European values will find, in the dubiously interpretable statement, a welcome confirmation to their stands.

The PM has attempted to polish his statement over, saying that Ukraine is an important partner for European Union and that Europe ought to encourage Ukraine to keep the reforms going. No doubt about that, but the damage has already been done. Such damage should never be caused. Hopefully, PM has, during this week, also realised why politicians experienced in foreign relations are never really humorous in their statements – boring, rather.

The reason being that all in the audience may not get it the same way. And a style of communication, to which citizens at home have grown somewhat accustomed over the years, will undermine our credibility abroad.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, however, is now in dire straits. No doubt, he best understands the problems created by the wording of the PM. And ready as Mr Paet appears to calm and to clarify, he realises his inability to turn back the time.