The Norwegian society is at present debating several issues, including its economy, climate change, immigration and the changing cultural milieu. In all these, the country often looks to its King, Harald V , for a decisive voice. After the July 22, 2011 bombings and shooting by white supremacist Anders Breivik that left 77 dead, the King was a rallying point for the Norwegians. A renowned sailor, he carries out royal duties with aplomb even at the age of 77. He spoke to The Hindu recently in Oslo on the triumphs and concerns of his country. Excerpts:
Norway was commended in the world media for its dignified response to the Breivik massacre. How has Norway coped since then?
I will answer it in the Chinese way: it is too early to tell. These things take a long time, they do. I don’t think we have really seen the end of coming to terms with what we have experienced. I am waiting for the time when we get mad, when we get furious. It hasn’t arrived yet. I don’t know if it is going to come to that but that would be a very natural way of reacting and we haven’t really been there yet.
Has it altered perspectives on immigration and multiculturalism?
As far as I know it has not changed it at all because it was a Norwegian [who committed the killings] and I think that helped a lot in not changing everything.
Norway has topped the United Nations Human Development Index 11 times as a welfare state. What is it with Norway that can explain this position?
We have been very lucky. We have had oil since the end of the 1960s. Even before that we were established as a well-organised nation — everything was in place. I think we were one of the first smaller industrialised nations that found oil. It created a problem that nobody had had before — that we had too much money. So we made this government pension fund that was supposed to take care of the future, and it does to a certain extent take care of us today as well. We have all these systems in Scandinavia to ensure that even if you are unemployed for a period, you still earn 80 per cent of what you used to. You are taken care of in a way. We can afford it because we have been lucky.
What challenges do you see to the welfare model in the coming years?
There are challenges because we are getting old. In the 1960s there were almost four people working for one pensioner. Now there are about 2.5, and in the future the number could be reduced further to less than two workers for every pensioner. It could become a problem but they are trying to solve it.
Depleting oil is a concern for Norway. Is the country readying for a post-oil economy?
You see it in the newspapers everyday: what do we do after the oil? The oil is going down, definitely; but the gas is longer term. I think we have gas for the next 70 to 80 years. We are still part of the oil age but we are trying to get more independent of the oil.
What role does Norway see for emerging nations and immigrants?
We have great use for a qualified labour force. Ours is a very small country — we are only five million people. Our problem is that we don’t have enough people.
Polls show a large number of Norwegians to have grown distant from religion. What do you feel the Church’s role should be in a country that is also increasingly becoming multi-religious?
We no longer have a state Church, which we had until just a couple of years ago. So it is a new situation but I think it is a normal situation considering all the religions we have in this country now. They should be considered equal. We have freedom of religion in this country. It is based on our Constitution so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Norway has put in a lot of effort on climate change, in negotiations and implementation. What is the next step?
I think we are now working hard towards that meeting in 2015 [the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris]. To try and get something down on paper that is solid, that we can use.
India has been given a permanent observer status in the Arctic among some other countries. How do you see Norway and India working together in the Arctic region?
India already has a station in Svalbard. It looks a bit strange that somebody in the warm climate is interested in the Antarctic and the Arctic! But that is where we see the changes most quickly as far as climate change is concerned. I was there only last year and it is very very obvious what is happening, much more obvious than we can see down here.
Norway has always had a strong role in international forums. Now, many talk about the 21st century being dubbed as the ‘Asian Century.’
That is my feeling too. That is what is happening and you see it in India definitely and in the rest of Asia too. Well, we have only started on the 21st century, so time will show.
george.pj@thehindu.com
