WHAT CRISIS?

Former Prime Minister Andris Skele left Latvia last week for Germany saying there was "no crisis in government," right after he told Economics Minister Vladimirs Makarovs to clean out his desk. Makarovs, it seems, had not been marching lockstep in the division of the proceeds of independence, the opportunity to privatize the Latvian people's property.

Makarovs cancelled the signatory powers of Skele's pal Janis Naglis, head of the state privatization agency. Citing legal grounds, Makarovs said that three times three-year terms is enough. That sent a spanner into the works.

Predictably, those who disagreed on the sacking retaliated by plotting a no-confidence vote against Skele, Finance Minister Edmunds Krastins and Education Minister Maris Vitols. This week For Fatherland and Freedom has been trying to muster anti-Skele sentiment to oust Skele but yet retain the coalition with the Peoples Party and Latvia's Way - not a bad slice of have the cake and eat it, too.

Meanwhile, Skele's reaction has been "there is no crisis." Still, at press time Wednesday, Skele beat the confidence vote by resigning the prime minister's chair for the third time.

No crisis?

Nevermind that For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK found it impossible to stomach Skele as prime minister and therefore helped scuttle the eighth government in nine years of independence.

Nevermind that the Parliament has been tied up in privatization shenanigans and the ongoing pedophilia follies instead of advancing reforms and passing laws.

Nevermind that unresolved ethnicity issues are offering a lucrative playing field for those, including Mikhail Gorbachev and one-night stand Western journalists and their magazines, who want to portray Latvia simply a nation of Russian bashers and killers of Jews.

Nevermind that the legal system in Latvia leaves the president asking why crimes are not being prosecuted.

Nevermind that Latvia's progress is retarded and influenced by the screaming absentee fans offshore demanding only good news, refusing to let the country grow up from the Latvia they experienced only at night school.

We think there is a crisis that thrives independent of Skele's ill-calibrated yardstick of crisis.

But crisis is good. Crisis is a good, because something has to happen. Ideally what has to happen is that Latvia's people say 'No." By saying "no" they can begin to accentuate the positive.