The Jura should question itself on its 50th anniversary
Published: Sunday, May 19th 2024, 11:30
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The canton of Jura must question itself in order to get back on its feet, according to former President of the Government Jean-François Roth. The once rebellious Jura has "somewhat lost the flame of its beginnings", said the former CVP politician in view of the canton's 50th anniversary on June 23, 2024.
Roth had retired from public life, but remained a privileged observer of his canton, which he represented in the Council of States from 1987 to 1994 as the then CVP representative (today's center). From 1999 to 2004, he was President of the Government of the youngest canton and was also a candidate for the Federal Council in 1999.
In an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency, Roth took a sympathetic but also critical view of the canton's development: "The Jura has become rather quiet. I'm not sure whether it still embodies the idea that people had when it was founded. The signs that might remind us of the rebellious side of the past have become rare," he said.
Roth regretted the canton's difficult financial situation. He also pointed to a lack of projects. A situation that is particularly demoralizing for the public service and is reflected in several departures of managers in the administration. According to Roth, the functioning of the state should be reviewed from the ground up at a structural level and strengths and weaknesses analyzed.
Forces should be pooled
The former minister also wondered whether the canton is adequately equipped technologically to perform all its tasks well in view of the frequent delays in decision-making. The canton needs to get involved in areas where the municipalities should actually be responsible, such as building permits.
In this context, Roth would welcome more municipal mergers. He also considered it inappropriate to maintain a structure with three districts (Delsberg, Pruntrut, Franches-Montagnes and soon also Moutier) when the forces should actually be pooled. According to Roth, a single district would suffice. The background to this is the canton's recurring financial problems: "The Jura is well on the way to having negative net assets," said Roth.
Successes and failures
Fifty years after the plebiscite of June 23, 1974, the Jura can of course be proud of itself: Cultural and associative life is rich, the founding of the Théâtre du Jura was a great success and the Jura question has calmed down, Roth continued.
Given the failures, the unilateral French decision to close the Delle-Belfort railroad line at the end of 2025 "seems like a bad fable". The railroad line was renovated at great expense with the help of the federal government. In the meantime, the issue of mobility, particularly for cross-border flows, remains unresolved, according to the former president of the cantonal government.
©Keystone/SDA
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