Berlusconi in Naples: Clean-up Job

Many a king has marched into Naples. German-born monarchs sailed in from Sicily. Bourbon conquerors came over from Spain. Napoleon's brother and brother-in-law landed in their royal vestments too. And now, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the exquisitely attired and democratically elected incarnation of modern Italian royalty swept into this troubled coastal city, bringing his can-do Milanese attitude and a small army of cabinet ministers. But these days, conquering Naples is most of all a matter of picking up the garbage.

A month after his impressive election victory, Berlusconi on Wednesday made good on an unusual campaign promise by holding his new government's first cabinet meeting in the heart of this troubled city of one million. The center-right leader's appearance is a nod to the entrenched social ills that afflict Naples — most notably a trash-collection emergency that has left rubbish heaps piling up on sidewalks. Naples' litany of urban blights have made life increasingly unpleasant for locals, and tarnished the international image of both the city and the entire nation.

Now serving as Prime Minister for the third time, Berlusconi was greeted by a mix of reactions, from over-the-top support to deep cynicism. Near the Prefect headquarters in central Naples, where the four-hour afternoon meeting was held, was a giant banner saying Berlusconi was worthy of sainthood. But there were also organized protests of at least 10 different groups, including one citizen association that carried bags of trash with Berlusconi's picture plastered on.

Shop clerks and cafe owners in downtown said Wednesday that tourism in this otherwise enchanting and history-rich city has plummeted over the past two years. Indeed though few expect miracles, many locals said they were encouraged by Berlusconi's decision to make coming to Naples a top priority. "There isn't much confidence left in the political system in general," said a 37-year-old building contractor. "But I hope this time, they really try to do something. For every step forward we make, the north of Italy takes 10. We're always 30 years behind." Local merchants said trash that had piled up for days was cleared overnight before the arrival of the meticulous Berlusconi, who once ordered Genoa residents to take down their clotheslines before a G8 summit.

Still, contrary to expectations from some, the exuberant 71-year-old billionaire did not venture out amongst the Neapolitan people, where he might have not gotten a wholly warm welcome. More than 1,000 police were called up for the event, and tension was running high, with several dumpsters upended and constant chanting against the government. In a post-meeting press conference at the Palazzo Reale, where past kings resided, Berlusconi vowed to "make Naples bloom again."

Rosaria Arpenti, a law professor at the city's Federico II University, called Berlusconi's arrival in Naples a buffonata, or a big fat joke. "The problems don't get resolved just by him coming here," said the mother of two. "We Neapolitans are enraged. The city is in the hands of a small group of criminals that hold the good people hostage. And in the face of this, politicians don't do anything."

Arpenti said center-left local leaders share much of the blame in not tackling the problems of trash, unemployment and poor public services. Meanwhile, the mob syndicate in and around Naples, known as the Camorra, has long infiltrated the trash-collection business, turning big profits and creating environmental hazards. For more than a decade, a mix of criminal influence, government inaction and not-in-my-backyard opposition to expansions of landfills have caused on-again, off-again scenes of huge piles of trash in city streets. Estimates are that some 3,500 tons are currently waiting to be cleaned up and carried away.

The cabinet meeting produced a series of measures to confront the trash emergency, including assigning the army to guard landfills, granting extraordinary powers to Italy's Civil Protection chief to confront the problem, and turning over trash-related investigations to anti-mafia prosecutors.

Another Berlusconi campaign promise, to crack down on illegal immigration, was also on the cabinet's agenda Wednesday. The government put forward a controversial bill to make it a crime to be an undocumented foreigner, as well as the introduction of measures aimed at stopping the Roma, or gypsy, population, from living in camps on the outskirts of Italian cities.

Indeed, in Naples itself, some seemed to confuse the issue of a dirty city with the complicated challenge of immigration. Giovanni, a 50-year-old newspaper vendor on Via Toledo near the city's Spanish Quarter said there is both widespread organized crime, but also petty crime, in Naples. It is the latter that makes him scared to go out at night. "Berlusconi had to do something. His credibility is riding on it," the Neapolitan native said. "The streets need to be cleaned up." He was referring not to the trash, but to immigrants.

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