Thursday, April 12, 2007

New revelations prior the pre-referendum procedure

Yesterday, almost at the end of the ''Kas notiek Latvijā" TV emission Jānis Domburs was showing the agreement between V and S parties. This morning this agreement with shaded names, dates and signatures was published in the Latvian language Delfi. On top of that, one party of the agreement came to the Latvian TV evening news LIVE emission whilst the second party sits in the jail now. Aye, aye, the jailed person is the former maire of Ventspils, and the second party to the agreemt is the former leader of the Latvian Social Democratic Party Mr. Juris Bojars, who actually is among the very few public persons in Latvia who admitted that he collaborated with the KGB.

Mr Bojārs revelations were pretty straightforward althought there were no sensations. He did not disclose the sums involved and admitted that during last half a year he felt that Mr Lembergs was pretty much out of his mind already. Also Mr Bojārs concluded that unstoppable wish to be in control everywhere about everything and lechery doomed Mr Lembergs. Mr Bojārs lashed out against Mr Šķēle and concidered him even worse than Lembergs. In the meantime he never question legality of the maire of Ventspils basically lobbying the Latvian politics throughout the 1990's. Also Mr Bojars was knitting conspiracy theories about the prosecutors office. In his usual manner he was trying to show his omniscient ego in the TV emission and the emission rather unexpectedly lasted instead of 10 minutes about half an hour.

All in all, what did I conclude from the late news on the Latvian TV? First, it is unacceptable to me to simply conclude a'la Mr Bojars, that while there were no stringent laws about embezzling public funds in the 1990's , that Mr Lembers cannot be taken as an black sheep because he voted for Latvian independence and he has cleaned the town ofVentspils. Such way of thinking is legal and moral relativism, because even schoolchildren do understand that with the monies of the Ventspils Nafta he could have layed streets in his town with golden cobblestones.

Second, the fact that the TV late emission was running for half an hour shows that the tactics of the prosecutors office is wise indeed. It means that first they needed to find one big fish. After such big fish in the cage also other jackals should start speaking, thus gradually letting the prosecutors office to legally try also other perpetrators of graft in Latvia.

Finally, there is a hope in the spring air that the Latvian citizens are woken up not only from the winter lethargy but also from the political nihilism. Yesterday the Central Electoral Board announced that 20 000 signatures or 1/7 of the number needed for the calling the popular referendum (149087 needed) is collected already. There are another 3 weeks to go and folks in this country arrive to perfomr their citizen's duties usually at the last moment. Shall see & fingers crossed for Latvian citizens being able to turn the post- Soviet page of development.

Lai veicas!

VS

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