Rejection of EU constitution
The rather unconvincing declarations made by the European Union's leadership that the ratification process for the ill- fated European constitution is not yet dead reminds me of the farmer's futile attempt to kick his dead mule back to life. Political decision makers would be well advised to act on the real reasons for the debacle (Crisis-hit EU mulls options after new charter blow in The Jakarta Post dated June 8).
The overwhelming rejection of the European constitution by French and Dutch voters had in fact very little to do with the proposed document itself and the vast majority of "no voters" were not even familiar with it's 448 articles!
To start with, the timing of the referendums could not have been worse! Faced with economic stagnation and record high unemployment levels, the proposed constitution was widely perceived as an instrument for painful social cutbacks or an outright attempt at dismantling existing employment protection legislation.
Until recently, European voters at large failed to realize that there was a price to pay for the introduction of the euro, the stability and growth pact or the impact of EU enlargement. Rightly or wrongly, these are now perceived as an abdication of fiscal, economic and political sovereignty decided over their heads by career politicians and unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.
Fighting unemployment or financing gaping budget deficits by printing more money are no longer an option for Eurozone member states and a deep disconnect between voters and political decision makers is becoming increasingly apparent.
With the recent addition of 10 new members states, not to mention a waiting list of other admission candidates such as Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia or Turkey, fears of uncontrolled immigration and loss of national identity have reached unprecedented levels.
At the time when the Maastricht agreements were signed and other far-reaching decisions were made, European voters remained remarkably unconcerned or showed little interest.
On the other hand, the eurocratic establishment not only failed to explain or to justify the consequences of its decisions but also took voters' approval and acquiescence for granted!
The rejection of the European constitution can only be interpreted as a belated "protest" or "no confidence" vote aimed at a largely unaccountable, faceless and aloof eurocracy! A European constitution is certain to be adopted in the long run but, in the meantime, the political elite definitely needs to reconnect with voters and reestablish its own credibility!
JOSEPH LOUIS SPARTZ Jakarta