Urmet Kook: Noblesse oblige, Mr. Prime Minister

Even if Kristen Michal's goal was to land a blow on his main political rival, labeling a quarter of Estonia's population as untrustworthy is irresponsible coming from a prime minister, journalist Urmet Kook argues.
I'm far from being a fan of the Center Party and Isamaa's new coalition deal in the capital. On the contrary, just looking at the points they outlined in their joint statement on Tuesday, such as the promise to ensure "peace of mind" for officials within the city system or what the statement doesn't mention at all (for example, not a single word about a modern urban environment), it's pretty clear where the new city government is headed.
So it's understandable, on a human level, that representatives of the trio rejected by Isamaa are making bitter statements or that Isamaa's main political rivals see this as a chance to try to shift the political momentum of the last couple of years. After all, Kantar Emor's polls have shown Isamaa as the most popular party — without having to do much — for nearly two years, since November 2023. Naturally, that irritates people and breeds jealousy.
But there's a line of dignity and, above all, responsibility.
The prime minister, or in this context, it's more accurate to say the Reform Party's chairman, Kristen Michal has been especially active on social media in recent days. His latest post shared a fake campaign ad: "Dear voter! Thank you for your trust! ИСAMAA."
Bringing ethnicity into this is foolish and irresponsible. Especially in the current security environment. What does such a statement really say? It suggests that a quarter of Estonia's population — and 40 percent of Tallinn's residents — are, in the prime minister's eyes, disloyal or at the very least untrustworthy.
That might be how the desperate leader of the fifth-most-popular party behaves, but not the prime minister of Estonia. Noblesse oblige, Mr. Prime Minister.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski










