Recent Maudet, Dittli and now short affairs in the Jura question the skills of political staff in Switzerland, and in particular the managerial skills of members of State Councils. For former Minister from Neuchâtel Laurent Kurth, zero risk is impossible.
“It should be remembered that our country has around 150 ministers in office, at the cantonal and federal level, and therefore naturally, from time to time, we have a concern for institutional or managerial operation”, underlines Laurent Kurth on Monday in the RTS morning. According to him, we must think about how these problems are treated when they arise rather than exclude them at all costs.
“Statistically, we must have it from time to time,” said the former State Councilor, stressing that this is perhaps the price of Swiss democratic functioning, which he would like to keep.
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How to avoid casting errors?
For Laurent Kurth, you have to “look at what people are” and “challenge them on the ability they have to question themselves”. He also considers interesting to “train in the lower (political) level”, before embarking on a race for the Council of State.
The former Neuchâtel minister considers above all essential to know how to manage a problem when he occurs. For this, you have to be able to answer these questions: “What are the alert signals that we are able to hear? What mechanisms are we put in to hear them? Who can they contact people in the administration to alert? What listening are we able to give to these alert signals? What are the counterpowers put in place in the Parliament or other places that allow to be alerted to dysfunctions?”
Humility and confidence
Laurent Kurth also returned to his own experience as a state councilor, especially on his arrival: “There are times when we are still a little dizziness”. For him, it is necessary to have “humility” to rest on his administration, but at the same time having “the will to guide” the action of this administration. According to him, it involves “creating a climate of trust, mutual respect and mutual understanding of each other’s roles”.
Addressing the function with humility is precisely one of the advice given in the morning by David Giauque, professor at IDHEAP, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Public Administration at the University of Lausanne. The political scientist also advises to rely on the experience and skills of people already in office and to be always ready to learn.
>> Also listen to David Giauque’s interview in the morning:
Sweet training
If there are professional training courses cut for elected officials, these are often shunned by state councilors, regrets David Giauque. According to the political scientist, this is explained by a lack of time, but also of modesty. He develops: to follow a course “requires accepting to say that we do not know and today, we see that some elected officials do not go so far and make unlit decisions”.
David Giauque also warns against the current trend according to him “to surround himself with loyal people, therefore members of the administration who in a certain way bring loyalty to technical competence or perhaps critical competence”.
The deficit of managerial skills among elected officials would also be the consequence of the professionalization of political staff, still estimates David Giauque. Laurent Kurth believes in “the diversity of profiles and this alchemy which is created in a college”.
Radio subjects: Pietro Bugnon and Diana-Alice Ramsauer
Adaptation web: Julie Liardet