President Lennart Meri: Young Estonian family is the future of Estonia


President Lennart Meri invited Mart Laar's Government to a light supper in Paslepa after their one hundred days in power.
After the supper, Mart Laar told ''Maaleht'' that on their brief picnic on the lawn, the President and the Government had mostly talked about the future and the young Estonian family.
The Prime Minster added that the establishment of the Estonian Family Foundation for helping young families with children to make their own homes was also a clause of the Government's coalition agreement, and that he had already proposed it as a Draft Act already to the previous Riigikogu.
After the talk to the Cabinet members, ''Maaleht'' also asked an interview from President Lennart Meri.


Mr. President, what inspired you to invite the Government for supper?

One reason for the meeting was that the Government's the one hundred criticism-free days were over. Still, some criticism was involved in our discussion - it is always possible to do better.

But mostly we talked about the young Estonian family. This subject is close to everybody's heart, as the young family is Estonia's future.

As the old readers of the ''Maaleht'' may remember, I first talked about the young Estonian family on April 2nd, 1988, on the Joint Congress of the Creative Unions. In the meanwhile, the State has taken care of the most urgent problems, although unfortunately not in the field of agriculture. And yet it is impossible to delay the solution any longer. If the young Estonian family can not feel a solid roof above their heads, there is no future for Estonia.

Some months ago, I asked several people to start racking their brains. It seems that we are making progress and, using several financial, constructional and social political levers, can reach the point where we will be able to build the young family freshly out of university a home they can afford. We can consider mortgages, flexible module buildings that can be enlarged as the family grows, and long-term credits. In the first years, preference shall be given to Narva, Sillamäe, Paldiski and Kohtla-Järve regions, for two reasons of equal importance. First, this enables the solution of the social problems of the above regions. Second, this too is Estonia - a country that has once been beautiful and must be so also in the future. But in order to get such a plan going, the building programme for young families should be extensive. First, a young family wishes to live among the like, among the people with similar interests, habits, and goals. Secondly, in case of module building, the simultaneous building of 30-40 houses considerably lowers the price. I assume that here, some politicians might see controversy with the principles of free market economy. They would be in the wrong. In no country is free market economy an end in itself that should be worshipped as a holy cow. Free market economy is the means for building democracy. In our circumstances, this means supporting and, in some regions, also inciting the citizen's initiative. I go even further and add that such a plan would yield a strong impact to activate our integration policy. The state, although weak, has gained enough strength to proceed from words to deeds. Let us learn from the post-war Germany or Finland (The ''ARAVA'' plan) and not forget that Nõmme was the first Northern European city that was first designed on the architect's drawing-board - due to the cheap and beautiful building sites. And as I first mentioned the four regions where we should start, I should now add that the plan has a starting point but no definite finish. The plan should gather momentum and expand to reach the farthest corners of our country - although it does sound strange to speak so about a country as small as Estonia.

What would you like to point out about the first period of administration of Mart Laar's Government?

One hundred days is a relative measure. In one hundred days, no government can achieve much. This is just the time to lift one's hat. Let me remind you that in old times, Estonians lifted their hat any time they saw an acquaintance in the street or entered a room. This habit, too, is disappearing. Unfortunately.

The Government's first period of administration is characterised by the realistic understanding of Estonia's opportunities and security policy situation. We have been living beyond our means and have to tighten the belt now, although we must not do this on the account of education. It is always very difficult to reduce the state budget. Yet this has to be done. We can no longer afford a multitude of idle state officials as we used have to in the Soviet time. We need to reduce the administrative costs of the State. I am glad that the Riigikogu has passed all these extremely unpopular decisions.

We are doing all this only in order to use our scanty resources reasonably and first and foremost for promoting education, national defence, young Estonian families, for securing our future and the continuity of Estonia.

Mr. President, what do you consider to be the way for overcoming the current difficulties in rural areas?

First, I would like to say that all governments so far, without exception, have been looking for this way, and now their search has started to bear fruit. Let us not forget, that in the Soviet time country people were much wealthier than townspeople. Today, wealth mostly accumulates in Tallinn, which is unfair towards Tartu, Narva or Pärnu, to say nothing of the countryside. But there also millionaires among the farmers.

One can see that in some counties, the amount of land restored to proper ownership and entered to the cadastral register is much greater than in others. This obviously bespeaks of the powerful red tape, and the weakness of the local initiative. As far as there is no owner, there is no one to take responsibility. Let me also add a completely different example. After I had delivered a paper to the powerful Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Istanbul, a businessman approached me, asking whether Estonia could offer butter, milk powder and cheese foe export. Back home, I found them an Estonian partner, but - ''they did not offer us the world market price,'' the manager of a major Estonian dairy industry told me. This little man had no idea what pains are to be taken in order to conquer new markets. The lack of this understanding seems to be prevalent in Estonia in general and especially in the rural life. Here the State could come and help, just like it did in pre-war Estonia to organise the export of butter and eggs, until the farmers will be able to manage on their own or come to understanding with major manufacturers.

In Hiiumaa, in the harbour of Kalana, a fisherman complained that half of the market price of fresh flounder goes to the pockets of the wholesalers. This, too, bespeaks of the need for greater co-operation in conquering new markets, and yet reasonable concord can be seen hardly anywhere in the country. The incapability to promote one's own interests and manage one's own line of production is probably our cruellest heritage from the time of kolhozes, when there was no need for independent thinking, all you had to do was to wait for the foreman's orders. Fortunately, we can soon leave it behind us. Today, there is at least one farm in each municipality or parish that sets a good example. It is true that here and there the village inns still have the longest working days, but a thousand people from Hiiumaa who participated in the fishermen's contest, or tens of thousands from Pärnu who came to see the moving open air performance staged by Raivo Trass rather speaks of the country people who have found their identity and wish to be the masters of their own country again.


Ülo Kalm

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