2008 Woodie Awards
Swedish corruption shakes government
Justin Lindborg, Columnist
Issue date: 10/24/06
Last Updated: 12/26/07
If Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt thought the nation's transfer to new administrative leadership would be effortless, he must be very disappointed with the recent turn of events. Since the new coalition took office on Oct. 6, three of its ministers have admitted to various forms of tax-evasion and employing household help without going through the proper tax authorities. Two of the ministers, Cecilia Stego Chilo and Maria Borelius, have resigned as a result of surfacing scandals. The third, Anders Borg, has admitted to employing a housekeeper "under the table" but does not intend to resign. Borg is a key advisor to Reinfeldt and one of the minds behind the newly elected party.
While crimes such as paying a housekeeper "under the table" do not seem to be major offenses in most countries, it is important to note that the dynamics of the culture are different in Sweden. The Reinfeldt administration's campaign was focused on the nation's "social model," which offers many social benefits while citizens pay higher taxes.
Reinfeldt's party, a center-right coalition, is the first party other than social democrats to be in power in Sweden in 12 years. Rather than starting the new administration positively, the three guilty ministers have proved by evading taxes that they do not truly believe raised taxes for social reform to be a realistic idea. For them to be guilty of tax-evasion is highly hypocritical and reflects very negatively on the new administration's credibility.
Freshman Sofia Andersson, a Swedish foreign exchange student at Whitworth, clarified the issue, saying that while it is fairly normal for many citizens to employ household help without dealing with the hassle of notifying authorities, it is "a very bad thing for a politician to do it and have the media find out." She likened it to the Clinton-Lewinsky fiasco in that it is a larger scandal if a public figure is guilty of it than if an ordinary citizen is.
Another major thorn in Reinfeldt's side came in the form of statements from Borelius. Borelius claims that she and her husband could not have afforded a nanny without resorting to black market labor. This claim is outrageous and an affront to the Swedish people because the Borelius' recorded income for the time in question is several times that of the average Swedish family's income.
All things considered, there is much that the newly-elected administration needs to improve on. In the short time they have been in power, they have lost the respect of the Swedish populace rather than gained it. Instead of shattering their image, they ought to be shining examples for the citizens they serve.
They would appear much more sincere in their motives if perhaps they did not disregard the taxes they as a party have pushed for. Unless the new administration can regain its credibility and demonstrate to the Swedish people that it is genuine in its intentions the coming term does not bode well.
While crimes such as paying a housekeeper "under the table" do not seem to be major offenses in most countries, it is important to note that the dynamics of the culture are different in Sweden. The Reinfeldt administration's campaign was focused on the nation's "social model," which offers many social benefits while citizens pay higher taxes.
Reinfeldt's party, a center-right coalition, is the first party other than social democrats to be in power in Sweden in 12 years. Rather than starting the new administration positively, the three guilty ministers have proved by evading taxes that they do not truly believe raised taxes for social reform to be a realistic idea. For them to be guilty of tax-evasion is highly hypocritical and reflects very negatively on the new administration's credibility.
Freshman Sofia Andersson, a Swedish foreign exchange student at Whitworth, clarified the issue, saying that while it is fairly normal for many citizens to employ household help without dealing with the hassle of notifying authorities, it is "a very bad thing for a politician to do it and have the media find out." She likened it to the Clinton-Lewinsky fiasco in that it is a larger scandal if a public figure is guilty of it than if an ordinary citizen is.
Another major thorn in Reinfeldt's side came in the form of statements from Borelius. Borelius claims that she and her husband could not have afforded a nanny without resorting to black market labor. This claim is outrageous and an affront to the Swedish people because the Borelius' recorded income for the time in question is several times that of the average Swedish family's income.
All things considered, there is much that the newly-elected administration needs to improve on. In the short time they have been in power, they have lost the respect of the Swedish populace rather than gained it. Instead of shattering their image, they ought to be shining examples for the citizens they serve.
They would appear much more sincere in their motives if perhaps they did not disregard the taxes they as a party have pushed for. Unless the new administration can regain its credibility and demonstrate to the Swedish people that it is genuine in its intentions the coming term does not bode well.
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