Voting for Alliance' continued good economic governance

I was in Gdansk, Poland in Sept. 2008 when the world came to a shattering financial crash that originated from United States mismanagement of certain economic sectors. For a country such as Sweden that is highly dependent upon its foreign trade where the US is a major trading partner, this financial shutdown was catastrophic, to say the least.

Then and there, no one was safe and secured with their jobs and there would be no welfare to cushion the effects of a massive economic retrenchment.The most amazing thing that happened was that, no one in Sweden felt threatened with loss of job, home and financial security. There were hard measures taken by the Alliance government but they were not as drastic as those needed by other EU countries whose financial systems were collapsing.

In today's SvD opinion page, Maria Eriksson wrote a very good summary on why we should support the Alliance by voting their continuity in power. She wrote: " One election, two alternatives. One has implemented four job tax reduction incentives and intends to proceed with a fifth against three parties that will undo all these income tax incentives. An alliance that knows that it is the industries that create jobs and welfare. And a RedGreen alternative whose politics oppose private initiatives in the health and school sectors, introduce rights to fulltime yearly equality planning, wealth taxation and increased employers fee for the youth."

The latest SIFO political barometer shows a closing of the gap between the two blocks although the Alliance still has the majority. In the more recent interviews of political leaders, the central issue of the economy was somewhat sidetracked by questions on sickness insurances. Eriksson writes further, and I fully agree that the election on Sunday is not a question of reduced taxes or social welfare but of the continuity of a good economy, in private as well as in public.

"Sweden is on its way out of the crisis, according to an article by The Economist. Half of the country's economy is dependent upon foreign trade which means that Sweden was deeply affected by the world economic backlash. But as The Economist has written, Sweden this year has achieved a GNP stronger than any country in the OECD area. The Swedish voters should appreciate and reward the competence with which the Alliance handled an extremely difficult period.

That Sweden is on its way out of an economic crisis is due mainly to the performance of the Alliance government. This means that the healthy recovery of the economy should continue to be managed by the same people that got the country out of a deep quagmire. In these times of uncertain world peace and order, it is economic growth that is the best weapon against terrorism and radicalism. The opposite is poverty and desperation that induce fanaticism and bigotry.#

Who gets my vote!

From Sept 1, Swedish voters may begin to cast their votes in selected places - usually in post offices. The two political blocks composed of the Non-socialist alliance which is currently in power is being challenged by the opposition Socialist red-green coalition. The electoral race is tight and the Non-Socialist block has had a 6.7 percent lead against the Socialist red-green coalition which has desperately sought and identified the undecided groups in order to level the fighting field.

The problem with the Socialist red-green block is that, it has been reacting mostly to certain crucial issues in the governing Non-Socialist alliance election platform. Tax reduction incentives have been trumpeted for basically the same population segments: the pensioners, the low and medium wage earners, the employers who are admonished to employ the young between the ages of 18 and 24, as well as certain service branches like restaurants and hairdressers. There is also an invitation - mostly for women, to start companies in the health and nursing sectors through a start-up capital. The Socialist's detailed position on many isues have not always been clear and straightforward.

When it comes to family politics, both blocks are ardently courting young families with children with infectious and hard to deny offers of state-subsidised parental equality when it comes to sharing maternity and paternity leaves of absences; child custody allowances which includes leaves of absence from work due to caring of a sick child at home. There is the idea of imposing quota for the division of parental leaves after a child's birth. A quota is about the worst idea one can think of. The care of a newborn child, up until a year when he or she can be placed in a daycare center should be left to the decision of both parents, especially if they are both working and have successful careers that need balancing with family life.

As for the reduced income tax payments of pensioners, it is high time that all the politicians took cognizance of an issue that has been relegated to the waste basket in previous elections. It is my contention that the pensioners have already been taxed highly during their active working years and that their pensions are well-earned benefits to secure a decent life in their old age. True, there are many retirees who are economically above the average. But a majority are definitely on the margin so much so that, there is not much left in the wallet after payment of monthly dues for housing, medical care and food. In Sweden, one must have worked for 40 years in order to get a decent retirement pension.

Since the electoral race is very close and the undecided remain undecided, the biggest labor organisation LO that has been a partner of the Social Democratic party decided to use a "dirtier" campaign strategy - that of posters showing pictures of all the leading Alliance politicians upside down. The LO chairman was quoted as saying that the race is too close that they (LO) needed to be more aggressive describing each competitor in a negative way. Some observers feel offended that this campaigning is targetting the person much more than the politics in question. I believe there could be a backlash instead of a mass appreciation for what looks like a bad losers' attitude.

Looking and comparing the various issues and specific proposals of each block, it appears that the Socialist red-green coalition will have to raise more taxes to finance all the tax reduction incentives it plans to implement. It will be higher income tax for a particular population segment; gas, cigarette and alcohol consumption; property ownerships of houses and villas, among many others. The Socialist red-green coalition will also removed the so-called "Rut" household subsidy which is the 50 percent cost reduction for employment of household help such as cleaners. This has been a very helpful subsidy to working families who cannot find enough time to do household work because of job and childcare demands. It is also employment-generating especially for immigrants who want to work but have difficulties finding jobs.

So comes the big question of whom I should vote for, who will continue Sweden's egalitarian welfare society where rights and responsibilities are equally shared among citizens regarding of creed, colour and class; where there are no special groups that receive greater privileges; where all citizens respect and accept the dominant social and cultural norms of the Swedish way of life and where power and democracy reside in the people and not in the political parties and labour unions' collective decision making apparatus. I want to live in a society where I am accepted as an individual and not a mere cog in the giant collective wheel of power.

There are certainly major global issues such as climate, poverty, elimination of nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction, religious fanaticism and terrorism that require international cooperation and solidarity. But it is my firm belief that regardless of which political block wins this coming election, Sweden's position on all these global issues remains unassailable.#

Making and keeping friendships

In all the languages of the world nothing is more beautiful than the language of love and friendship. Love is often fickle and unpredictable, but some friendships grow and deepen with time. We go through life as collectors of things and people we encounter along the way. We are lucky when we find real gems in our acquisitions because they have proven the longest staying power. Friendship is not quantitative but qualitative and the latter is proven only after the endurance of time while going through life's phases of fortunes and misfortunes.

Many successful people are sorrounded by friends who love to be associated with success, fame and money. This is all natural as bees are lured by honey. One gets a supreme feeling of security in having so many friends celebrating every event of achievement. Yet how many stay when times get bad. How many are there to comfort a friend who lost a loved one, someone who is suddenly stricken with a terminal disease or who lost a fortune because of bad business decision or because a well-paid job became expendable.

There is a distinction between acquintances and friends. Many acquaintances are formed in workplaces, during travels and brief encounters in different places. It is a parade of passing faces where there is no strong impulse to further a relationship to the level of friendship. Somehow, somewhere in the heart there is a tiny voice that says when a person could become a lifelong friend. Unlike love that sparks with passion, friendship is rational and comes with a good feeling of liking and of seeing the prospect of a friendship that will endure.

I cannot count more than five people that I consider to be my true friends. (This is outside my family where love and friendship, along with parenthood are strong bonds that connect our lives.) Do I consider myself poor that in all my years of working, travelling and meeting peoples of many colours and creed, I should end up with a handful of people I am confortable to call my friends? I am sure that outside the magic number I have right now, there are others who have been good friends at one time or another. But they didn't stay. Worst, time has imposed a barrier and there was no attempt to bridge that distance. A few very good friends in media have passed away and that has left some emptiness.

To be a friend has some demands of keeping the relationship alive, that it is nurtured and never left to the vagaries of humour and weather. There are not so many occasions for reunions with old friends especially when many have busy lifestyles and families. But when a reunion takes place in one's home or in a restaurant for dinner, it is guaranteed to be a happy encounter of fun and laughter fuelled by stories of adventures and misadventures from some decades back. There is the never-ending tales of the heart, of love affairs that had no closures, of poverty in school allowances, of being exotic foreigners with black hair in a population of blonds and blue eyes.

It is true that we went through the hard years of learning to survive in a foreign country, of mastering a new language and culture and of absorbing the best there is without losing our own identities. We've known what it is to be poor students, to compete for excellence and to grow wiser in the choices we made along the way. "We were so poor then, but we were happy"! And I asked: "And today... some 35 years later, we are a little richer, we had successful careers, met and married good men and have children whose world is more different than the one we had some decades ago. The friendship that started then has grown richer from sharing life's many situations. And the best part is that, we can laugh at all the mistakes made without losing pride. #

The Swedish election: rational but passionless

The 2010 national election in Sweden on Sept 19th is just 18 days away and the two major coalitions - the non-Socialist alliance which is currently in power and the Socialist's red-green coalition are grappling with basically the same issues that all elections in the past have tackled: jobs, welfare, schools, healthcare and taxes. What differentiates the two blocks are the priorities undertaken and the beneficiaries of tax incentives and reductions.

As indicated in most of the political barometers, the governing non-Socialist alliance has taken the lead over the opposition Socialist red-green coalition. Without going into any specific analysis on this trend, the easiest conclusion on why the non-Socialists are getting greater confidence from the electorate is how they handled the economy during the 2008 financial crisis. That they succeeded in implementing measures that cushioned the impact of the economic world turbulence on Sweden's economy is a remarkable success. Several EU-member countries are finding it difficult to immerse from budgetary deficits and without help from international and European financial institutions, could sink into a quagmire.

The non-Socialist alliance has been a successful model of a united political platform , that is to say - one voice on most issues of concern to the Swedish electorate: employment and job incentives which means that work is more beneficial than social welfare dependency. Taxes of low-income earners were considerably reduced and new job creation incentives were introduced. The other priority areas are the schools and healthcare sectors - how much more in additional budget would they be getting in consideration of the growing population of old people and the increasing number of babies needing placements in daycare centers.

Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in the recent launching of the non-Socialist alliance platform promised further tax reduction, especially to the older people whose highly- taxed low pension has been a constant source of discontent. The economy permitting, he has set an ambition goal to lower further income taxes thereby inducing new jobs through lower employer's fees. The opposition Socialist red-green coalition wants to raise taxes to finance the needs of various sectors, which could lead to greater welfare dependency. The message is that, it does not pay to work because one could get as much through unemployment benefits and it will be more expensive for employers to hire due to expensive social costs.

The issue of taxes hits the main pulse of every voter and it is as close as it gets to becoming an emotional issue. If there is any criticism that can be made in the increasing tempo of the election campaign, it is the lack of emotional appeal of the election slogans made by each party and the two blocks. Slogans don't grab one's attention and don't ignite any enthusiasm. Compared to most elections in other countries where there is a life and death struggle to be heard, to convince and to win, the Swedish elections - including this forthcoming one is bereft of passion and conviction. It is too rational that it actually forgets how emotional some issues are to many voters especially those living on the margin of society.#

The right to live..and to die with dignity

The right to live...and to die with dignity is an issue of critical dimension that continues to challenge those in power to act not simply out of humane considerations but in accordance with the law. Life is sacred as all religions declare and precious in the name of everything that is good in humanity.

In Sweden, the right to end one's life - of persons whose daily sustenance comes mainly from tubes attached to machines, has been a long-standing debate in the medical, as well as political communities. There are a number of cases that came to light in the media where certain individuals have been kept alive for many years through palliative care, who have no hopes of ever getting better and where pain and suffering get worse as days pass. They have expressed the desire to die, or be allowed to die. It is often an agonishing familymember who plead with the physician for suicide help.

Recently the case of a person who has been kept articifially alive was brought to court and challenged the National Health Board - the highest Swedish decisionmaking body, to make a decision to grant the right to die.

The outcome may have favoured one particular case but the issue on granting one's desire to die with dignity has yet to become legally acceptable.

There are complicating factors that do not allow a simple legal interpretation of one's right to die with dignity. There are many cases where the person no longer have the capacity to express the will to die, so that it is the family that interprets that will. If there is no written testament to the effect that the person concerned has infact stated the will to end his life or be allowed to die with dignity, then it would be the words of living relatives that have to be validated. Are those words expressed out of selfless love or are they motivated by interests other than those of the person lying in a comatose condition.

Persons living less than half a-life or hanging to the barest thread of life for many years in hospitals are more visible to a greater number of people who are part of the medical and nursing staff. There are however, less visible cases who are in long-term nursing homes who may or may not be palliative cases. There is one particular case where I have had professional experience in nursing. She had been a well-known personality in the academic community and had authored books. A severe stroke caused by the death of her husband sent her to into a state of helpless immobility. She had to be fed through a tube in her stomach. But she was conscious of everything around her and she reacted to music, people around her, things of beauty like nature when she is taken out in the park.

One summer day, the nursing staff was informed that the woman's children wanted their mother to end her life because according to them, it was her expressed desire not to go on living. This was a most unusual situation and most of those involved in the caring work did not immediately comprehend the depth of this case, nor did many understand that it was going to be a difficult ethical and moral dilemma for all those involved in looking after her.

It dawned on some after some days that their religion could not accept being a part of an assisted self-suicide case. Such individual protests were muffled and those with psychological problems in dealing with the day-to-day care of the woman were advised to see a psychologist.

It took a month for this person to finally die and during all those days, she was deprived of food and was only given water and morphine. She could not talk, but her face spoke of the pain and anguish she was going through. This case shattered the morale of the people working in the unit and sent several on sick leave from psychological breakdown. The working morale of the staff hit the bottom and much later came a reorganisation of the unit itself. What was inconceivable in this case was how the highest leadership of this organisation agreed to let this happen when the law forbids assistance in self-suicide.

While the issue of the right to die with dignity remains a bone of contention, there are less visible cases going on in the less exposed nursing homes, where so-called palliative cases are found. In general they are cases of persons who are extremely sick, who are just waiting for their time to go. They get the care they need in terms of food, quietude and company though not of medicine. But who really knows what goes on in many nursing homes.#

A royal wedding that stole everyone's heart

Weddings are occasions guaranteed to melt even the hardest of hearts. It is a moment of pure happiness for two people becoming one, as each promise the other that in the battles to be fought ahead, one will never be alone and that triumphs are sweeter because they are shared.

"Love Stockholm" lifted the spirit of a city that needed to be reminded of the abundance of feelings in every inhabitant no matter how much problem each has to face in order to survive life's daily challenges. The preparations made for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria took more than a year and the last four weeks were devoted to the minutest details, so that the ceremony from start to end would suffer no blunder. And everything did go well and perfect as befitting a couple who defied certain traditions in order for love to triumph. Princess Victoria had chosen her "Prince" from the people, in a remote town in northern Sweden. And she thanked the people with all her heart's conviction when she said: " I thank the Swedish people who gave me my prince."

I am not a royalist at heart because I believe that monarchies are a relic of the past and therefore anachronistic. Ordinary people find sustenance in their daydreaming as they follow the lives of the royals and the famous, which is understandable. To escape dreary moments in a day and float with dreams of wealth and fame allow many, especially women, to find refuge even relief from the eternal damnation of being poor and marginal.

The Swedish monarchy has maintained a strong decorum of morality and propriety. There has been no scandals that feed hungry tabloids involving the lifestyle of the royal children. They have been good ambassadors of goodwill for a small country that is constantly on its toes when it comes to competitions in the world market. It is indeed acceptable when one comments that the monarchy provides continuity, where the new relies on the old for wisdom and where the old accepts vigour from the new.

Yesterday, as I swam through a crowd of people in Kungsträgården to get to a boat moored beside the National Museum, I was convinced of the joy the people had to see their princess at a close range. I was rushing to join my captain who drove a boat carrying 80 people who were celebrating a less royal wedding. There was no distinction when it came to the genuine expression of love in both weddings, love that is so strong and powerful it sweeps away all the uncertainties in this troubled times. I saw the tail of the day's magnificent celebration and listened to Prince Daniel publicly acknowledge his love for Victoria and his gratitude to the elder from whom drew the best in himself. It cannot be denied that even without the pageantry of royalty, the quality of love between Victoria and Daniel is pure gold. #

The amazing moments of love

In this life, we are all subjected to the alternate forces of heat and cold, of rain and sunshine and of hate and love. There is always resistance to accepting the two sides that like a magnet pulls us towards opposite directions. There are times when life seems drawn to the deep ends of sadness and frustration and a feeling of defeat appears inevitable. Everything and everywhere, things just seem to go wrong no matter how much we struggle to get out of the quagmire.

Whatever the reasons there are for sinking into the lowest feelings of abandonment are numerous because bad times seem to collect everything that is unwanted in the immediate environment. Things are bad in the workplace where bosses are incompetent and lacking in empathy; hard work and accomplishments are not appreciated and worse, they create jealousy and competition. If they were not enough, the home which is the refuge from all evils outside is empty of compassion and affection. The other half is probably suffering from the same frustration so that the capacity for understanding and consoling each other become a heavy burden of the moment.

How does one leave behind feelings of frustration and anger and change into another person when one comes home? It would be a rational thing to do because whoever is the other person waiting at home does not really deserve to get the outburst of bad humour. How does one cool down, shed off that battered skin like a snake and come out fresh with a new person incarnated? Everyday comes this challenge of changing oneself for the sake of other persons dear to us. What we want to share is not anger against the mismanagement of the world we live in. We want to share the best in ourselves, the part where the heart is unaffected by hatred and anger.

Coming home to a loved one is always the highlight of a day - whether bad or good. To feel the warmth of an embrace that wipes out all the anxieties of the day, to sit close to each other and watch the sun fading from the horizon as the night settles down, to listen to the softness of tender love words and to forget everything else because nothing really matters at such moments of togetherness. These are the amazing moments of love and no words are necessary - not to explain why or to reason out. Love has many amazing moments for hearts open to receive and reciprocate.#

(This piece is especially inspired by the launching of LOVE Stockholm in celebration of the wedding of the Crown Princess Victoria on June 19th).