Latvia’s Best Export?

For the fifth year, Latvia’s Ministry of Economy has given awards to the most successful exporters in Latvia. The title of “Export Champion 2009” was given to the entire Cabinet of the previous governments of Ivars Godmanis and Aigars Kalvitis. Ministry of Economy State Secretary Janis Sausgravis gave out the awards. An excerpt of his speech follows:
“We doff our hats to the previous governments of Latvia, whose foresight and vision have created our new best export. Today, the export of Latvians is robust, and showing signs of further growth. Like the Ireland of old, we now lead the world in the export of our own citizens. Latvians are leaving in droves; each one a little ‘made-in-Latvia’ export. The Kalvitis and Godmanis governments were accused of being populist, of being amateurish, of suffering from acute East European thick headitis. But no. The truth is that these good men, against the advice of the IMF, the ECB, bank analysts, advisors, investors, economists and their own countrymen, remained single minded in the pursuit of their spendthrift ideals. And because of this, we are today sharing ever more of our Latvians with the wider world. The world is grateful, and so are we.”