Party maker hits at hierarchical leadership

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

Maario Laas, an engine for new party being created, thinks it should not be stuck in an ideological box – the aim is restoring weight of citizens’ votes at decision-making.  

Active citizenship needs to become the decisive factor for Estonia, states Mr Laas (26), board member of a small NGO called Better Estonia, explaining why he sees need for a new party next to existing ones. «People’s will and their needs must become decisive.»

This past Sunday, associations Better Estonia (Parem Eesti) and Free Patriotic Citizen (VIK) announced plans to start creating a new party. While VIK is quite well known on the Estonian political landscape, led by the experienced Riigikogu member Andres Herkel and participating, via various election coalitions, at the latest local elections, Better Estonia is less known an its leader, Maario Laas, lacks prior experience in national politics.  

According to Mr Laas, he has sat in Kohila commune council and for years belonged to its cultural committee; at the last elections, he did not run. «Didn’t see a need for that, no reason.» The more so that, by now, he has become a Tallinner.

By main activity, Mr Laas is business consultant, his company OÜ Wisestarter organising team trainings, seminars and the like. Also, Mr Laas chairs board of Estonian Horse Breeders’ Society and runs a farm of 130 horses, in Lääne County. He has participated in various citizen initiatives like Cyclicious Estonia (Eesti rattarikkaks), aimed at spurring city dwellers to ride bicycles in everyday life. 

«This, for me, is good proof that as citizenship initiative keeps growing, top-down hindrances will be created to keep positive things from growing overly large. At the beginning, there was the talk that as a critical mass of cyclists appears on the streets, we will also be developing infrastructure etc; even so, as the event grew larger, they started to harp on the dangers, discovering lack of helmets and reflector-vests,» said he. «Well, it is persons who participate in traffic, not means; in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, bicyclists are equal with others in traffic.»

According to Mr Laas, they found common grounds with VIK with the very issue of amplifying the voice of citizen societies. In weeks to come, the party planners will be synchronising the common platform; thereafter, a new ASBL will be registered, out of which the new party may be grown.

ASBL Better Estonia was founded in 2009 by Mairi Tamm and Triin Normann. The latest report of the ASBL, in public register, dates back to the last year but one. As its main activity, Better Estonia stated business consultation and management consultation. «In 2012, the organisation had no activities,» reads the document.

According to Mr Laas, he is only linked with Better Estonia since last year; the founders, being aware of the party being created, are not involved in it. The other current board member, at the association, is Kaspar Ilves. The ASBL has no members. According to Mr Laas, this is intentional by Better Estonia, the aim not being to build a membership, rather a citizen network. «We are in dialogue with close to 1,000 people, of whom a couple of hundred are our active partners,» said Mr Laas.

At the end of last year, Better Estonia was involved in the organisation of two public brainstorming sessions; of these, one with a hundred-some participants was held in Viljandi, prior to elections, the other in Tallinn, at a later date.

In the Tallinn event video clip, available over the Internet, social scientist and educational figure Ülo Vooglaid and musician Emil Rutiku take the floor, among others.

According to Mr Laas, the party makers have also held discussions over financing the new party. «I would not go into specifics, as we have no such agreements as could be published,» he said.

Regarding the former Eesti Pank chairman Jaan Männik, who has said he’d be interested in joining the new party, Mr Laas pointed to Mr Männik underlining important problems as low natural increase and large exodus – to which any thinking individual would not object. Regarding the possible involvement of the other politician talking about creating a new party –Kristiina Ojuland – Mr Laas said they haven’t met.

Mr Laas did, however, quote the entrepreneur Alar Tamming, with whom he has «discusses various issues»: «Jumping down from a skyscraper, a few metres from the ground all may feel OK, just a little windy. But in a moment it’s all over.»

According to Mr Laas, Estonia is in a crisis situation, the crisis being worse that apparent at first glance. «When Prime Minister says all is wonderful and, at the same time, finance minister finds the budget cannot be met without raising taxes, these two are mutually exclusive.»

Comment

Olari Taal, entrepreneur and former politician

I believe there’s room for numerous new parties, on the current political landscape of Estonia, as nearly half of voters stand ready to support these. The main reason to this being that people realise the need for thorough reform of public administration.

The newly created party (resulting from merger of VIK and Better Estonia – edit) will surely make it to Riigikogu; the amount of seats they’ll get depends on involvement of administrative capacity, to create an effective national organisation.

Organising and administration has not been a strength with VIK. Hopefully, here, the Better Estonia bunch can help out. That, in turn, may mean many tears for Reformers and IRL.