Dagbladet’s revelation shows that something must be done about the Nobel process, says Lise Rakner, professor of political science. She believes the most important thing now is to reconsider the political appointment of the Nobel Committee. Professor Emeritus of Public Law, Jan Fridthjof Bernt, will have transparency about who has nominated the Peace Prize winner, as well as a review of the entire regulations.
They give these suggestions after Dagbladet has revealed:
Both Syse and Sheikh were clear that Syse was never informed about Sheikh’s role in the nomination process. Bondevik and Sheikh also made it clear that there was no connection between money and the nomination.
Bondevik and Sheikh have been presented with the proposal from Bernt and Rakner, but have not responded to the inquiry.
Syse writes that he has no comment, other than that he has done his “best to maintain the ethical standards for the work of the committee, completely in line with what the critical comments in the case in practice require.”
Transparency
Both Frp and Ap have after the cases demanded more transparency in the nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In a previous article, Professor Jan Fridthjof Bernt has argued that whoever has nominated the winner will be announced when the Peace Prize is announced. Today, this is a secret.
In addition, he believes Dagbladet’s revelations illustrate the need for a review of the nomination process and the regulations surrounding the Nobel Committee.
He emphasizes in the case of Henrik Syse, that Syse was not incompetent – as long as he did not know about the lobbying activities for the peace prize to his board colleague. Bernt nevertheless believes that the case illustrates that the members of the Nobel Committee must avoid connections that can create problems.
Will change appointment
Lise Rakner is a professor of political science at the University of Bergen – and former leader of the Rafto Prize.
– I would not start where Bernt suggests – partly due to the need to protect candidates and nominees. But I agree with him that these discussions that are coming up now are a sign that something should be done. I think it’s about how to appoint committee members, says Rakner to Dagbladet.
Was nominated for the Nobel Prize for a monetary gift
She believes the case shows that the recruitment process for the Nobel Committee should be changed. And is now launching its own proposal for how recruitment should take place.
– As a suggestion, Rakner begins.
– What about a model where, for example, two seats on the committee are announced, everyone can apply, and after a background check and interview, they admit two members? It is an interesting model in relation to diversity and legitimacy, inspired by recruitment to university boards in Denmark.
– In what way?
– My opinion is that the political appointment is something that is constantly being highlighted. In Norway, we think this is going just fine, because we have great confidence that people can wear many hats. But for the outside world, the committee and the award look very political. I have great confidence that the committee will be able to handle these roles, but that is because I am Norwegian. I have long believed that the committee should look at how they appoint members.
– To avoid cases like this?
– Precisely to avoid cases like this. This is not about me not trusting people or the system. But it’s so easy that issues like this come up.
view more
–
– If the Storting is not to appoint committee members – who will do it then?
– I do not have enough knowledge to come up with a proposal on my feet. But the political appointment is constantly coming up for discussion. A depoliticization – a disconnection from political Norway – would have been a good idea. For example, there may be an election committee with people who are not Storting politicians – there are many ways of thinking. But it’s too tight connections. I stand for that. It is Old Norse that we think we can have so many roles. We are very naive about impartiality as a potential corruption problem.
The Nobel Institute’s director Olav Njølstad has the following comment on Rakner’s proposal:
– It is not up to the Nobel Committee or the Storting to decide this. The provision that the members of the Nobel Committee shall be appointed by the Storting is laid down in Alfred Nobel’s will. It is his explicit will that it should take place in this way. Then, of course, it is up to the Storting to decide who they want to sit on the committee, but that is another discussion, Njølstad writes in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
Independent advice
Hans Petter Graver, professor of law at the University of Oslo, says:
THE NOBEL COMMITTEE: Left: Asle Toje, Berit Reiss-Andersen (chair), Anne Enger, Olav Njølstad (secretary), Jørgen Watne Frydnes and Kristin Clemet. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
view more
– It is in the nature of things that with such large and prestigious awards as the Nobel Prize, there will be both money and lobbying behind some nominations. This applies not only to the Peace Prize, but also to the other prizes, and other prestigious international prizes, says Graver.
He is himself the president of the Academy of Sciences, which awards the Abel Prize, often known as the “Nobel Prize in Mathematics”, and the Kavli Prizes in Neuroscience, Nanoscience and Astro Science. Graver also sits on the board for the Holberg Prize.
– Therefore, it is important that the nominations are processed thoroughly and professionally by a competent and independent committee, and that the committees obtain independent professional advice on the candidates that it is relevant to consider further.
MONEY AND PRIZE: Law professor Hans Petter Graver says it is natural that there is money and lobbying in some Nobel nominations. Photo: Nina Hansen / Dagbladet
view more
– What do you think about Bernt’s proposal?
– I do not know their case processing routines well enough to have any opinion about it. What I do know is that all such international awards practice confidentiality both about who is nominated and who has nominated them.
Suspicion in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Professor Janne Haaland Matlary is – in his capacity as professor of political science – one of those who can nominate for the Peace Prize.
– I have done it sometimes myself. I also remember from my time as State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that there were some international politicians – names not mentioned – who were strikingly interested in cooperating with Norway. We suspected that it was because of the peace prize, that one thought this would increase the chances if one was visible in Norway, says Matlary to Dagbladet.
– As is well known, there are many hundreds who are nominated every year, and there are certainly many hopefuls who run campaigns with the Peace Prize in mind. But it does not help to settle with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or humanitarian actors in Norway. The committee is intelligent and expects just such activities, and it counts rather negatively if a candidate is conspicuously “visible” in Norway. This means that this priest from Nigeria has hardly increased his chances by giving money here and getting another prize here, I think it certainly works against his purpose, she states.
– Does not need investigation
Gardermoen 20190317. Sjur Lindebrække’s prize for democracy and human rights was awarded to the Anti – Semitism Policy Trust at the Conservatives’ national meeting at Gardermoen on Sunday. Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB
view more
She does not agree with Jan Fridtjof Bernt’s assessments.
– With regard to Bernt’s comment, I disagree, Matlary says to Dagbladet and elaborates:
– When it comes to Syse’s role in this, as the article writes about, it is without any basis in facts. He does not know of a nomination from a chairman of the board where he sits on the board. It goes without saying – he is unaware of the nomination. That he has met the person does not matter. This is a kind of “guilt by association” argument, says Matlary.
– There is also no need for an investigation of the process. The Committee is very aware of all attempts at lobbying and flattery; there are plenty of them. The more eager one is to show oneself and be promoted; all the more negative in the eyes of the committee. As I said, there are lots of nominations that are attempts to promote a candidate, and most often this is quite sincerely meant, but there are also those who want to promote a political cause, a person, a country. Whether this is wrong or just eager, only the committee should consider. They have a very solid professional process with all the nominations, which is screened after a professional assessment by independent experts.
PLAY: Professor Jan Fridthjof Bernt started the debate on the Nobel nominations. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB
view more
–
