King of Sweden emerges from disaster as father figure

Professor views criticism against Persson's government as serious

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The support that His Majesty the King of Sweden, Carl Gustaf XVI, has given to the Swedish population suffering from trauma caused by the December 26th tsunami has clearly confirmed his popularity among his people.
      According to a recent opinion poll published by the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet, 27% of the Swedish citizens trust the King now more than previously, and hardly anyone's trust has declined.
The King’s conduct in disaster-hit Sweden has made a powerful impression on people and media alike.
      His speech at the memorial ceremony at Stockholm City Hall for those who died or are missing following the Asian catastrophe was full of compassion. As many times before, the King recounted the touching story of his father dying in a plane crash when he himself was very small.
      The entire Swedish royal family has been very active in consoling and supporting those people who lost relatives and friends during the disaster. The members of the royal family have been seen in charity concerts and memorial services, and they have visited hospitals. Moreover, the King himself intends to travel to Thailand.
      The Swedish citizens' feedback as well as the comments of the Swedish media have been glowing.
      The King is now keeping up his role as a comforter of the disaster-hit people. On Thursday he went to see the extensive storm damage to forests in Southern Sweden. He called the situation a national catastrophe.
     
The position of the monarchy in Sweden has been stable for a considerable time.
      The King has been popular just because he is the King, but never before has he been so much loved as a father-figure to the nation.
      Typically, the Swedish people have turned a blind eye to some of his statements that have annoyed the media. For example in late 2003, there were serious calls from the Swedish media for the King to abdicate, after he called the Sultan of Brunei a very enlightened monarch.
      Through his determined and empathetic behaviour, the 58-year-old head of state has now apparently found his way into the people’s hearts.
     
The King’s new refined communication talent was heard when he implied in his interview that the government had been slow to respond to the Asian catastrophe.
      In general, the Swedish media gets rattled immediately, if the King so much as touches upon politics. According to the Swedish constitution, the King is not allowed to interfere in politics at all.
      However, the King has now been praised as an interpreter and sounding-board of the Swedish people’s feelings. Furthermore, the King’s interview had a certain effect on politics, and even the political opposition began to criticise the government after keeping quiet since the tsunami.
     
In the Swedish media, the criticism has been raging for two weeks already. The government is being accused of slow and chaotic decision-making.
      The main targets for criticism are Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds and Prime Minister Göran Persson. According to the opinion poll, the Swedes' trust in them went down drastically.
      According to Professor Peter Esaiasson, normally criticism during a crisis is not significant as voters' memories are known to be short. However, the current criticism has been more long-lived and more credible, and hence it is possible that it will have an effect on the election of 2006, he believes.
      The opposition has succeeded in taking the slow response to the tsunami catastrophe to a higher level. They blame the tardy response on PM Persson’s centralising the authority to himself.
      "This is definitely one of the most serious situations in which Persson’s government has ever found itself", said Esaiasson.
     
On Thursday the criticism got even more heated. Persson has blamed the officials of the Foreign Ministry for slowing down the operations, because allegedly they did not inform the ministers of the serious situation of Swedish tourists in the region immediately after hearing the news from the Swedish Embassy in Thailand on the day of the catastrophe.
      According to the Swedish media, the information was conveyed to Freivalds’s closest aide already on Sunday. The same information was reported even on Swedish radio and television stations on the same day.


Links:
  The Royal Court of Sweden

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