Sunday, December 31, 2006

Liberal and illiberal democracies

This morning Iraq'i former dictator was buried in his home town. Son of the peasant tried ruthlessly to have a grip on power in a multi-religious Middle Eastern state, but failed due to the external intervention. So far so good for international community, and Iraq and and former Yugoslavia mark a definite change of the conventional interpretation of the national sovereignty in the texts of international law. So, from now on, if there are massive human rights violations other states can intervene with the approval of the UN security council. Unfortunately, the US and Great Britain failed to receive the approval of the Security Council, and the US received a massive blow to its credibility as a champion of liberal democracy.


Liberal democracy can be defined in several ways. Someone once described liberal democracy by uttering omenous words: "government of the people, by the people and for the people". The crucial fact of liberal democracies is hidden in the fact that liberal democracies should protect individual rights and not invest the power in singular bodies of government. Therefore by definition, democracies should always be weary about motives of singular leaders.

Whenever we resort to glorify singular statesmen/women be they wise, effective, smart or devoted to the good deeds, I believe we transgress the basic principle of liberal democracy - not having emphasis on singular rulers!

Liberal democracies find their roots intertwined with the roots of Judeo-Christianity. It is Judaism that prohibits exposition of the human face in their art works! The first commandment of the New Testament also proclaims that one mustn't hold another God in place of the true Lord Allmighty. I am not orthodox Christian but I also remember the maxim of Immanuel Kant, " that we may never be able to have a straight piece of wood made out of the crooked timber of humanity". It means that until we live in human communities we must be weary about motives of those fellow citizens who gospel acvhievement of common good without proper instruction and without institutional checks and balances in place.

Punishment of Saddam still vividly reminds us about what task it is for a statesmen/women to have a grip on power. From history we have Chengiz Khan, myriad of Popes, Kings, Princes, Explorers and Chieftains who had to slaughter in order to keep their power. By glorifying our past we also tend to downgrade the blood that still lays on their hands. In liberal democracies historic myths are selectively chosen so, they would not be contradictory to the society that invests its supreme power in its people or to put it another way in supremacy of human rights. For such a system to function properly comprehensive system of education is required, so not only the channels of mobility would be open according to the merits, but also people would be authomatically weary about motives of wolves in sheep skins.

Whenver elite of the society invests in glorification of singular leaders such countries neighbors should be attentive, because it is a sign of illiberal democracy. In such a system there does not exist trust of the individual but oligarchic or corporate groups instead. Who traditioanally are corporate groups that support singular leaders? They are as different as are their motives, and history teaches us also that such corporate investment in singular leaders is a zero sum game, thus a good lesson to liberal democracies.

Hitler, Lukashenka, Chavez, Aliyev, Karimov and Putin - all of them were elected democratically. All of them were supported by some corporate group, be it German idustrialists, Soviet nomenklatura, native clans or Venezuelan military officers. Latter five still clung to their power and how else to call Belarus, Russia, Venezuela, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan if not illiberal democracies?

So to end this year we may also see that at least in Eesti, Latvija and Lietuva we do not have uncritical glorification of singular leaders among political elites. However, three Baltic states border with two illibireal democracies who are hangling over gas prices right at this moment. Can we expect Belarussian anschluss and Russian border also on Lithuanian Eastern border in 2007?

May New Year bring us more liberalism!!!

VS

Saturday, December 30, 2006

New Year - Uus Aasta - Jaunais Gads - Naujieji Mētai

Whenever new year is coming there is a possibility to sit down and contemplate about past deeds, present challenges and future prospects. All the events take place in time and space and if one looks around oneself he finds a funny world around indeed!

What is the flat world we inhabit to use the catchy phrase of Thomas Friedman? Whilst thinking by myself here in Salaspils I stopped at the analogy of the apartment block. So, IMAGINE, the humankind lives in the apartment block in the age of pax americana. In order to run the apartment block smoothly the US is the the manager, employment and security provider of the house. In this demanding task to run the house the house manager works via such prominent international intermediary big bodies as the UNO, NATO, WTO, WB, IMF, and a smaller lot comprised of Amnesty International, Transparency International , Oxfam, etc.

To make your imagination more colourful remember the typical post- Soviet suburban area and perhaps you see the 9 storied houses that look identical from Prague to Vladivostok?! Thus, in this house surrounded by nature the whole world lives in. The house must be provided with electricity, water, sewage system and heating and folks must eat somethin as well. So, the whole world in order to live in the aprtment block must do bit by bit in order to be able to pay the rent.

More well off nations live on upper floors, thus they could not only enjoy the upper view but also live closer to Gods themselves. In the basement there is Al Quaida and North Korea. They live by the sole purpose of blowing up the the whole apartment block and returning to the state of nature.

Further up we go we can see more complicated tasks performed in order to be upwardly mobile. Gulf States have specialized in providing the house manager with oil and have reached the floor 8, thus they can say that they have reached the same closeness to the Prophet, and their excuse for living one floor lower is that they are about as close to Prophet as the heretic Christians.

The US, EU, Japan and the rest of white Anglo-Saxon Commonwealth live happily on the top floor by helping to entertain the house manager with luxury goods and throwing nice parties in their specially decorated apartments.

On the floor 7 South Korea, Singapre, Taiwan and other South East Asian nations simply show the others below that it is possible to be upwardly mobile.

On the floor 6 East Europeans and Mexicans are happily guessing that they would be allowed to reach the upper floor one day by being members of white race and undertaking everyday chores of lazy 9' th floor inhabitants.

The middle Kingdom is situated on the flors 5 and 4 where the BRIC' s live. Simply the sheer size does not allow Brasil, Russia, India and China to move as swiftly as East Europeans, Mexicans or South East Asians do. Because they have so many belongings and human resources their reallocation takes ages and probably shall mean only two options. Either they shall get stuck in the Middle Kingdom of floor 4-5, or they simbly shall outgrow their size, brake put the walls of the house and shall demolish the whole house with them. Already, the BRIC' s see that their former vassals have been swifter. So, the heating provider Russia or furniture and clothing provider China threaten to choke off their upper floor neighbours for the sake of - being ungrateful and leaving the former metropolis behind...

Further below the middle Kingdom we see shabby conditions of floor 4 to 1 where janitors, plumbers, simple laborers struggle for their existence. Myriad of African states, former Communist paradises of peasants and wrokers can be divided in two lots. The floor 3-4 inhabitants still believe in the everyday rat-race euphemistically called also continuous economic growth. Central Asian STANS, Ukraine, Uganda, Ghana, Equador and others want to use the mix of Western advice and remnants of indigenous expertise to rapidly reach the floor 7. In the meantime the floor 1-2 folks have given up their secular dream of stability and slowly turn themselves into holes like Somalia, Afghanistan, Transdniestria, Zimbabwe or Haiti.

What is the panacea that allows nations to move within the aprtment block? The simplest answer is education, and here better chances are for those who are daring to try something new. Orthodoxy in learning is the luxury for the rich and powerful.

New year shall probably not bring any significant changes in the house managment. Just the rumours whirl about the changing party atmosphere from the top floor. The US parties after the Iraq adventure are not as popular anymore among the lower floor aspirants, and the loose intergovernmental EU states want to have more leisure and less bossing from pax americana. Is there pax europea on the horizon? Perhaps New Year shall bring us some nice news, because the Baltic Sea area is the most dynamic part of Europe:)

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Is Latvian political system stable?

Läti stabiilsus ei välista poliitika musta raha
19. detsember 2006


Autor: Veiko Spolitis

15 aastat pärast taasiseseisvumist on Lätit koos Eesti ja Leeduga esitletud kui edukaid ja majanduses kiireid edusamme tegevaid üleminekuriike.
NATO tippkohtumise aegu sattus Läti hetkeks maailma massiteabevahendite keskmesse ning nii NATO peasekretär Jaap de Hoop Scheffer kui ka USA president George W. Bush tõstsid oma kõnedes mitu korda Lätit esile kui positiivset näidet demokraatlikult muutunud riigist.
Et suuta NATO transatlantilisse areaali ja sellest väljapoole jäävates missioonides osaleda, pole tähtis ainult sõjaline varustus või sõjaväe allutamine tsiviilkontrollile, vaid üha enam see, et NATO liikmesriikides valitseks liberaaldemokraatlik kord ja nende haldussüsteem oleks läbipaistev.
Kesk-Euroopa riikidele mitteomaselt jätkab Lätis pärast parlamendivalimisi senine koalitsioon, veidi täiendatult, kuid endiselt Aigars Kalvitise juhituna. Sarnaselt Eesti ja Leeduga iseloomustab Lätitki kiire majanduskasv ja sellest tulenev heaolu tõus. Siiski on kiirele majanduskasvule järgnenud ka inflatsiooni tõus ja tööjõu dramaatiline äravool.
Kolmandate isikute valimised
Enne valimisi moodustas Läti valitsuse Rahvaerakonna, Esimese Partei ning Roheliste ja Põllumeeste Liidu vähemusliit. Valimistulemused näitasid, et valitsusliidu kolm erakonda saavutasid 51-häälelise ülekaalu 100-liikmelises Läti parlamendis. Valitsuse stabiilsuse tagamiseks võeti valitsuskoalitsiooni ka valimistel napilt viie protsendi künnise ületanud isamaalased.
Läti valimisseadus sätestab, et erakonnad ei tohi valimiskampaaniaks kulutada rohkem kui neli krooni valija kohta (kokku 6,2 miljonit krooni). Partei Uus Aeg kulutaski kuus miljonit, samas kui Rahvaerakond kulutas ametlikult 4,3 miljonit ja Esimene Partei vaid 256 000 krooni.
Samas raiskas peaminister Kalvitise büroo endise juhataja Jurgis Liepnieksi mittetulunduslik organisatsioon Sõnaõiguse Eest valimiskampaania tarvis 11 miljonit krooni ja Esimese Partei juhi Ainars Slesersi äripartneri loodud organisatsioon Päikese Poole 6,6 miljonit krooni.
Valimisläve mitte ületanud Uued Demokraadid kaebasid kolmandate isikute rahastatud Rahvaerakonna ja Esimese Partei kohtusse. 6. detsembril tegi ülemkohus otsuse, et kolmandate isikute rahastatud valimiskampaania oli küll seadusvastane, kui siiski ei saa pidada oktoobris toimunud valimisi kehtetuks, kuna esitatud faktid ei tõesta, et kolmandate isikute kampaaniad oleksid oluliselt mõjutanud inimeste valikuid.
Rahvaerakond ning Roheliste ja Põllumeeste Liit on aga täiesti erineval arvamusel haldusterritoriaalse reformi läbiviimise põhimõtetes. Lisaks on viimaste esindaja peaminister Kalvitis teatanud, et tema erakond pooldab nii kohustusliku tulude deklareerimise süsteemi sisseseadmist kui ka õiguskantsleri institutsiooni loomist 2007. aastal.
Veiko Spolitis on politoloog ja Riia Stradinsi ülikooli õppejõud.
Presidendivahetus läheneb
•• Küllap tulevad koalitsioonipartnerite erimeelsused muuhulgas esile ka tulevastel presidendivalimistel. Põhiseadus sätestab, et presidendi valib parlament. See peaks toimuma tuleva aasta mais. Eesti ja Läti presidendi võimupiirid on üsna sarnased, kuigi mõlema presidendiinstitutsiooni vahel esineb erinevusi.
•• Väikestele erinevustele vaatamata on juba praegu võimalik ennustada, et Läti sarnaneb Eestiga kas või selle poolest, et sarnaselt Lennart Merile on Vaira Vike-Freiberga seadnud oma mantlipärijale kõrged ametistandardid. Erakondlik sõltumatus väikestes riikides on peaaegu võimatu, praeguseks on aga siiski esitatud kolm erakonnavälist kandidaati.
•• Need on Läti ülikooli politoloogiaprofessor ja president Vike-Freiberga soosikuks peetav Zanete Ozolina, endine Läti saadik USA-s Ojars Kalnins ja praegune Euroopa Komisjoni energeetikavolinik Andris Piebalgs.
•• Rahvaerakond teatas algul kavatsusest toetada presidendina praegust välisministrit Artis Pabriksit, kuid on nüüdseks üldse loobunud oma kandidaati avalikult välja käimast.
•• Mitmed vaatlejad on sobilikumaks presidendikandidaadiks pidanud endist Läti eurovolinikku Sandra Kalnietet, kuid tema erakonna Uus Aeg opositsioonis olek ei anna talle suuri lootusi.
•• Kaheksa aastat tagasi oli Vike-Freiberga sotsiaaldemokraatide üllatuskandidaat, seekord võib selliseks üllatuseks pidada akadeemik Janis Stradinšit.
•• Vaatamata sellele, kes saab tulevaseks Läti presidendiks, on Läti sisepoliitikas piisavalt palju olulisi väljakutseid, mille

Sunday, December 17, 2006

The Economist article

In its December 16th issue The Economist puts Estonia and Latvia together as the most dynamic duo of the European Union. All in all I agree with the overall assessment about the state of business in these two states.

However, there is one issue that sets Latvija far behind Eesti and what The Economist article unfortunately omits - Latvia still grapples with the problem introducing mandatory revenue reporting system! In Estonia such system was introduced back in 1993 and it has been the cornerstone for Estonia' s fiscal stability and overall enlightenment of the Estonian populace about the basics of the capitalist democracy!

Populace that knows that their revenues are monitored regardless of their belonging to one or another party also see their tax deductions when they invest in education or purchace morgage for their first home. In addition they are also vigilant about expenses of public servants and State Revenue Service can easily track down transgressors. Also Ombudsman institution helps here in defence of public against constant depredations of the state!

There is NO universal and mandatory tax reporting system, NO ombudsman institution in Latvia, but there is growing alienation among Latvian public. Today www.delfi.lv announced that former head of the Office of the Prime Minister Kalvitis, Mr. Jurgis Liepnieks (the same fellow who ''legally'' financed third party PP campaign) is selling stock worth Ls 3,2 million and giving the rest of his assets to his wife Diana. Is Jurgis afraid of political come-back of Mr. Skele or Latvian prosecutors office is behind him?

And last but not least....Spring 20006 Eurobarometer data shows that support of Estonian public for parliament, political parties and government is averaging from 9-13% and that is the EU average. In Latvia the same support was 4-6%, so basically Latvian populace considers its rulers and democratic regime as illegitimate! Why do pundits wonder then that Latvian populace still craves after the rule of a strong hand or to put it politically correctly, that Latvian populace still believes that Byzantian political culture and authoritarian rule is preferential to democratic cow trading...still sad:)

Thursday, December 14, 2006

New Constitutional Court members

There were three new government appointed members of the Latvian Constitutional Court elected by Latvian Saeima today. Saeima is planning to appoint its own candidate for the Constitutional Court, the Ombudsman poorly financed institution (with Peoples Party (PP) member Ringolds Balodis as a prime candidate) early next year as well, and all this in hellish haste, why? I have a question to Ringolds Balodis whether he understands that Ombudsman institution is really to help the public against the omnipresent depredations of the state, even in such a small corporate state as Latvia?

I believe that the EU membership implies that it is not so easy to brake the constitutional checks and balances system. However, the low level of education in Latvia and almost 100 000 people already hemorraged out of Latvia does remind me about the true causes of disfunctional liberal democracy in Latvia - they are, above all, existence of traditional and conservative (what means conservative in post-Soviet state?) authority system and lack of transparent revenue reporting system. Again and again we come back to the PP, because it was them who said that they are winners of the October 2006 elections and they promised that revenue reporting system would be implemented as from January 2008.

But wait a minute, the fact that PP names itself a winner with 23 seats in the 100 member parliament is partially right. Nominally they have majority of the seats, but what means majority if the next three parties got - New Era (18), Farmers Union (18) and Reconciliation Centre party (17)? Coalition government in liberal democracy really means the rule of the majority with the respect to the minority, because in next elections (and European and municipal elections are not behind mountains) you may find yourselves in reversed positions? But why am I aimlessly having a monologue here? Because I predict that Latvija in 4 years will find itself in deep recession. So needed reforms of education system, tax code and municipal administrative system have not even started or have been stalledand. Latvian politicians find it more feasible to work for short term goals and there are no long term visions whatsoever, unfortunately.

There is omenous sentence inscribed above the hall of the Latvian council of ministers - ''One legal code, one truth to all!!! However, more and more often after the elections of October 2006 these are the highest servants of the state who blatantly breach this inscription....sad:(

VS

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

City Council meeting

It was a busy, busy day. Students came at the last possible time to discuss about their future BA and course thesis's. I do remember that I was a student as well, but the way students do not understand how to find information is just amazing. Imagine, I had to explain one female student today, that she may actually retrieve information in 21'st century from http://www.google.com in EU country - Latvia:)

The local council meeting is over with the same results - no rational discussion. All questions were answered with the same legalistic dry talk moderated by the head of the town council - a former militiaman.

Simply do not want to think about it anymore. On top of that on the Latvian TV evening news I learned that Prime Minister Kalvitis promised the sugar-beet farmers that sugar industry would still flourish in Latvia. Prime Minister, admit that it is a lie, because it is impossible for sugar industry to flourish without government subsidies! It was the EU who agreed in the WTO trade talks to abolish subsidies for sugar-beet farmers! Instead, Mr. Kalvitis you could tell to your ardent electoral supporters honestly that you want to help them to transform their business and find them work - isn't it Peoples Party (PP) who whines about the lack of qualified workforce? There is absolute inconsistency in your public pronouncements PP, because one day you support Construction companies association in their wish to bring in cheap Bulgarian, Romanian and Ukrainian labour force, but on the other you support loss-making sugar-beet industry in Jelgava and Liepaja. Common, some factories just hearing that sugar refineries might close already announced about their wish to emply redundant workers!!

Mr. Kalvitis, you just won Latvian elections and you can't find a better timing for such an announcement? My suggestion to you - announce that government will compensate and retrain sugar-beet farmers, that Latvian consumers will pay less for the sugar, and everybody will be better off, including you Mr. Kalvitis:)

lai veicas,

VS

p.s. I do not understand why Latvian politicians so often play zero - sum games, haven't they learned that win-win startegies also exist:)

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Back from Kaunas

Went to Kaunas to see the old mate Dr. Joost Platje from Groningen who resides in Wroclaw now. Meeting was traditionally jovial and we both agreed that getting older is certainly making amendmends in our daily routines. Sunday morning beer is not replaced with the visit to the Church pews yet, but with the coffey and cake in the pizzeria already:-) The BO bar in Kaunas was crowded as always and in one hall there were Lithuanian choir singers monopolizing the attention of the whole bar. 'Svyturis' tasted as good as always and Kaunas did not surprize me at all.

Alas, I was surprised by the Kaunas roads, because after getting out of the Maxima parking lot (reminded to both of us the Belorussian dissident who equated democracy with Maxima) I got a flat tyre. The road maintenance service No. 1188 worked impeccably and after half an hour the serviceman came and the whole affair costed me 100 litas.

Kaunas was tranquil and former Lithuanian president' s statue is still standing next to the Kaunas gallery. Smetona stands there as a reminder of the past deeds that everyday passers by might have perhaps forgotten - what did happen with the Lithuanian treasury he took with him after the terminal events of June 1940?

VS

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Iggy Pop in Arena Riga

Just returned from work via Arena Riga where Iggy Pop and his band were playing. At least 10 friends from tallinn and tartu were there as well and it was warm to see them in Riga. Actually they expressed certain respect to Riga, because Iggy Pop had chosen Riga as the only spot to sing in the Baltic States.

Personally I am no9t a fan of his and Arena Riga was full of young teenagers and young people in punk rock clad. Iggy himself is about 60 years old and still rocking half naked. It was a good performance to his fans but the overall atmosphere was a bit tiresome to me, perhaps getting older:)

Anyway, the reason I am writing this is because another idea popped into my mind whilst in the Arena Riga. The first thing that came into my mind was my own father - I CANT imagine him rocking on the stage:) Then recalling my own memory I reminded myself that we were living behind the Iron curtain, and thus only now the rock'n roll icons are touring the former ''paradise of peasants & workers''.

Another fact that Iggy' s dancing reminded me is the fact that in todays global world there are many singers popping up from many newly industrialised countries. In the meantime technology changes rapidly and musicians cant simply rely on good LP, hit and then sit on their laurels. Entertainment industry is hellish competitive and perhaps after some time we shall see some rock' n roll veterans squeezing last juices out of themselves in order to earn their daily bread?

VS

Monday, December 4, 2006

Competition Council and Transport Supremo at loggerheads

Latvian Transport Supremo in Latvian language media lacks appreciation for his unending efforts to attract money into Latvia. It is a good idea but Mr Slesers forgets that he is not a businessman but POLITICIAN. That means that he cant work like bulldozer forever disregarding interests of other members of society. Transport supremo might note that the will of the majority of the Latvian people was to elect the right wing government.

Here he is partially right because he knows too well how he paid for the third party advertisements during the election campaign this September. Another aspect about the victory of the right wing coalition is the fact that the only virtue of the right wing coalition is naked individualism of couple or three oligarchs. If you truly care about righ wing ideals then why was there decision no to lower income tax? And what about the fiscal discipline -why is there budget deficit at such volatile times when greenback is shaky? Look into Estonian record you members of ruling coalition (aye, aye Minister of Finance Spurdzins does not like this caomparison at all)!

Transport Supremo knows basic business techniques but I soemhow feel that the business practice he preaches is still pretty ''wild Eastern'' or if you want it to sound politically correct it is post-Soviet. Mr Slesers insistance on the rate of the discount for Rynair and Air Baltic is transparent, so KNAB isnt it suspicious? What makes me worried is the ''good practice'' of transport supremo to blame others as incompetent (blaming Ieva Jaunzeme, Director of the Latvian Competition Council in Diena, 05.12.2006). The manner of blame is the traditional Soviet style wish to see conspiracy behind decisions of the Competition Council, but in reality it allows some hotspur activist to puch through his political ambitions or to blame others for his or her own lack of initiative.

WAKE UP Slesers and other likeminded folks - Competition Council is collective organization and its statutes specifically mandates it to care about the public good! It means Mr Slesers that your care of millions of Rynair and Air Baltic passengers (any clue that majority of them are Brits for example) are at loggerheads with Ms Jaunzeme who has to think about 2mlj. taxpayers including you Mr.Slesers!

VS

Back from Tartu

Returned back from Tartu and caught a little virus, heh, heh. Tartu surprised me with a row of new buildings and very hype atmosphere!

Allan Park (known also as Park junior) is sitting next to me now and trying to grasp the importance of some Estonian scriptures. In few hours I shall take him to the airport where he shall use services of Rynair and fly to Stockholm Skavsta. Why the hell it is Stokholm Skavsta if the airport actually is situated in Linköping?

Latvian government decided that up to 80% dicount for the AirBaltic and Rynair companies would be continued even though the European Commission has pronounced that it is distorting the EU competition law. Shall we see another legal row and Latvian taxpayers paying due to the hotspur decisions of the Latvian transport supremo?

It is raining here today and its December 4 - perhaps global warming in action?

VS

Estonian lawmakers decide and Russian opinion makers react

Серп и молот приравняли к свастике
// За символику СССР в Эстонии будут сажать

Министр юстиции Рейн Ланг довольно неожиданно признал, что в Эстонии к нацистской символике "относятся толерантнее", чем к советской, а это, по его мнению, совершенно неправильно


Правительство Эстонии вчера направило на окончательное утверждение парламента поправки в положение о наказаниях. Благодаря разработанным министерством юстиции изменениям использование советской и нацистской символики будет наказываться штрафом до $4,2 тыс. или тюремным заключением сроком до трех лет. С подробностями – корреспондент Ъ в Таллине АЛЕКСАНДР Ъ-ШЕГЕДИН.
После обострившегося в мае конфликта вокруг памятника советским воинам на холме Тынисмяги по инициативе премьера Андруса Ансипа были подготовлены и предложены парламенту законопроекты "о запрещении" монументов и о воинских перезахоронениях. В народе они были тут же названы "законами о снятии Бронзового солдата". Вчера кабинет пополнил пакет законодательных документов, касающихся исторической тематики. Демонстрация и распространение символики бывшего СССР и его союзных республик, равно как и символики национал-социалистической партии Германии и СС, будут рассматриваться как "разжигание вражды и розни". Их использование будет наказываться штрафом до 50 тыс. крон ($4,2 тыс.) или тюремным заключением сроком до трех лет.
Под определение "символика" подпадают легко узнаваемые символы: флаги, гербы и знаки отличия, а также их элементы.
На пресс-конференции после заседания правительства министр юстиции Рейн Ланг пояснил, что поправки не касаются использования этой символики на культурных мероприятиях, где это обусловлено художественной необходимостью, например, в театральных постановках.
Журналисты попросили премьера уточнить, считает ли он подпадающими под новый запрет символические атрибуты ежегодных встреч ветеранов СС на Синимяэских высотах под Нарвой (там, на месте ожесточенный боев, происходивших летом 1944 года, установлен памятник солдатам 20-й эстонской дивизии СС.–Ъ). Господин Ланг ответил, что проблемы в данном случае могут возникнуть, но пока, по его информации, нацистская символика на встречах не фигурировала.
Затем министр юстиции довольно неожиданно признал, что в Эстонии к нацистской символике "относятся толерантнее", чем к советской, а это, по его мнению, совершенно неправильно. "Для меня Сталин и Гитлер одинаковы",– заявил господин Ланг. Он напомнил, что на некоторых эстонских хуторах собираются компании, празднующие годовщину "хрустальной ночи" (одного из самых страшных еврейских погромов в Германии в истории нацизма), и это тоже неприятная правда. Но правда и то, сказал министр, что у Бронзового солдата собираются люди, "у которых в одной руке стакан водки, а в другой – красный флаг", что провоцирует противоположную сторону на ответные действия. "Опасное противостояние нужно прекратить, заполнив правовой вакуум в этом вопросе",– заявил Рейн Ланг.
Задавались вопросы и о флаге ЭССР, и о государственном флаге нынешней России. Министр заявил, что в демонстрации российского триколора никакого криминала нет, а вот флаг советской Эстонии демонстрировать не рекомендуется.
Уже выбраны ключевые фигуры в правительстве Эстонии и госпрокуратуре, которые будут отвечать за исполнение вышеупомянутых нововведений. Снимать или оставлять памятники будет министр юстиции, принимать решение о перезахоронениях – министр обороны, а возбуждать дела в отношении публично использующих "неправильную символику" будет поручено государственному прокурору.
Между тем в сувенирных магазинах Таллина можно свободно приобрести майки с советской символикой, а если немного поискать, то и с символикой Третьего рейха. Антикварные магазины полны предметами, подпадающими под действие будущего закона. Летом этого года среди распаленной конфликтом вокруг памятника на Тынисмяги молодежи были популярны майки с обоими типами символики. Однако скоро появление в такой майке будет чревато большими осложнениями.



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Кто запрещает советскую символику

Попытки запретить советскую символику и привлекать использующих ее лиц к судебному преследованию предпринимаются в ряде стран бывшего Восточного блока. Одна из этих стран – Венгрия. К примеру, в ноябре прошлого года коммунист Аттила Важна был приговорен судом Будапешта к году тюремного заключения за ношение коммунистической красной звезды во время демонстрации. Нацистские и коммунистические символы запрещены в Венгрии после свержения коммунизма в 1989 году.
Запрет на использование гербов и гимнов СССР, изображений серпа и молота, красной звезды введен и в Латвии. Это было сделано сразу после восстановления независимости в 1991 году. Впрочем, этот закон практически не действует. В частности, невозможно добиться его исполнения 9 мая, когда в Риге у памятника советским воинам-освободителям собираются русскоязычные жители страны, а ветераны надевают советские награды. Гимн России много лет входит в топ-лист самых популярных в Латвии мелодий для мобильных телефонов, но оштрафовать их владельцев в Латвии никто не пытается.
Третьим после Венгрии и Латвии государством ЕС, ставящим знак равенства между между нацизмом и коммунизмом, могла стать Литва. Однако парламент этой страны отказался рассматривать предложенный оппозицией законопроект о запрете символов нацистской Германии и сталинского СССР.
Наконец, в октябре этого года первая попытка нанести удар по советской символике была предпринята на Украине. Депутаты верховной рады от фракции Блока Юлии Тимошенко внесли на рассмотрение парламента законопроект о запрещении советской символики на Украине.