Corrupting democracy and Constitution in Italy

A letter from Romeo Ramacciotti, Lucca 

Dear Editor,

I read your Noam Chomsky interview Deterring democracy in Italy with great interest and would like to add the following by way of throwing further light on continuing problems of democracy in Italy.

The tragic conclusion of the Second World War for Italy brought about a necessary change intended to guarantee our country a civil and modern social system and put a final end to a past that had seen power exerted by the nobility and, to our even greater detriment, by the Roman Catholic church. In short, it brought about a new Constitution.  

On January 1 1948, the Italian Constitution was passed. Its articles were divided into “fundamental principles”, “citizens’ rights and duties” and “rules of the Republic”. These articles unequivocally establish the rules of our society that must be observed by all without exception.

The successive governments that have guided Italy for over half a century have carried out policies which are contrary to these principles and to the aims of the Constitution.

In particular, personal freedom is not guaranteed, citizens’ rights are not safeguarded and citizens are not made to respect their duties.

The private sector worker is discriminated against in respect of his public sector counterpart in pension rights, health treatment and various other facilities.

In most cases a worker’s wage (about 750-800 euros per month on average) is insufficient to permit him or her to live autonomously. One consequence is to force the younger generations to continue to live at home far longer than in other countries. In many cases, pensions received at the end of a lifetime's work are an insult to a person’s dignity.  

The health system works well for those who do not need it and for those who are “recommended”. In the exercise of its powers as guaranteed by the Constitution, the judiciary should adopt more reserve. There is no fit trade union to safeguard workers against the many plunderers.

Instead of being encouraged, science and technology are discouraged, thus forcing scientists and researchers to go to other countries where they can find the necessary resources for scientific research and the realisation of technological products. The extent of the damage that has been and is still being done needs no comment.

Access to employment in the public sector is heavily restricted and, apart from the rare exception, is reserved for the “recommended”. As they are virtually unsackable, their behaviour towards the public is often arrogant, unacceptable and corrupt.

It is illegal to appropriate water or goods belonging to the State or to make unauthorised use of them. The State recently failed to intervene adequately following the illegal exploitation of water supplies in some parts of the country.

Too many politicians, elected by the people but presented by political parties and now part of the government, carry out their activities in a manner that is corrupt and arrogant. This is the fruit of a political culture which belongs to the past and which is evident in their handling of power. The damage is limited if it is effected solely within the system (to insist on perfect government would be infantile), but the doubt is that beyond all of this there may be a power ruling politics generally with its own ends that are in contrast with those of our country.

Notwithstanding bad government, Italy functions rather well thanks to the will and intelligence of people who work and create wealth, safeguarding it from a system of unequal government and from a continual demand for taxes which serve to maintain an increasingly greedy bureaucracy. Many countries envy us and fear our positive capacities, which deserve far more.

One solution could be to bring down the government and go to new elections with political programmes which are worthy of the name and which are in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution (as Umberto Bossi did with the Silvio Berlusconi government in 1994 for other reasons). Many citizens would indeed be grateful.

The real problem is that our country needs politicians who have not only intelligence but also spirit, courage and good faith (the early political battles by Marco Pannella made history). The results could prove to be really surprising.   

Note: This letter, originally in Italian, was published by JUST Response on September 14 2002.

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