Estonian president highlights need for honest dialogue between govt, citizens

TALLINN - At a reception hosted in the Kadriorg Rose Garden in Tallinn on Tuesday, President Alar Karis said that Estonia needs an honest dialogue between government and citizens, one that dispels distrust and helps to create clarity. 

"Thirty-three years ago, a dream became reality as Estonia regained its independence. Our own state. On this anniversary of liberation, I wish to call on every compatriot to appreciate that as a nation of only one million, we have managed to accomplish great things -- in science, culture, athletics, the economy -- and to restore our statehood. We have remained unwavering and steadfast despite every possible concern, be it in regard to security, economics, tax increases, or other challenges," Karis said.

The head of state said that when the Estonian state was born, its founders expressed an unshakable will to create a country grounded in justice, law, and freedom.

"After many long years of occupation, we placed freedom first above everything else because we had come to understand something crucial -- in a state without freedoms, justice becomes a hollow word and laws merely a means of control," he said.

The president noted that the Republic of Estonia's restoration was simultaneously a strengthening and a development of that state -- so said its new Constitution.

"We also face that task today: to strengthen and develop a state founded on liberty, justice, and the rule of law. Those words define Estonia’s character and essence. We must consider the degree of attention that those three fundamental values demand of us now," he added.

"We cannot escape the birth rate's spiraling decline without liberty, either. One can, of course, claim that a vigorous nation will persevere, and that we should allow people to decide for themselves how many children they want to have, because compulsion and shame will not lead to more. As a father and a grandfather, I truly don't wish to make such a personal decision for anyone else. Nevertheless, I know that in addition to love, the choice can be influenced by one's overall confidence and quality of life, the opportunity to choose both career and family, sufficient income, access to quality childcare, affordable housing, inexpensive extracurricular activities, and reliable childcare subsidies that aren't diminished by constant talk of their reduction," Karis said, adding that present and future parents expect first and foremost a child-friendly Estonia, which must be an effort made by society as a whole.

The president said that today, many see the government as a nemesis wearing down the nation.

"It is a dangerous development that cannot simply be written off as a misjudgement. People want to understand why they are being burdened with taxes, and how their money will be spent. Asserting that state revenue and expenditures are imbalanced isn't enough. The government's policy might be correct, but people must perceive it as right and just. When power seems unjust, then trust in that power, and ultimately in the state itself, will disintegrate," he said, adding that the state cannot be vague when a person cannot see how they are being supported.

Karis pointed out that raising taxes tends to seem especially unjust when the economy is in a backslide and many people have a hard time making ends meet.

"I understand their distress. At the same time, I'm certain that tax increases will be more readily accepted if people believe that the burden is distributed fairly and higher taxes will help to ensure that children can study in schools, young adults can attend university, revenue is used to treat hospital patients, the elderly are cared for, the streets are safe, the border is protected, and the country is defended," he said.

The president notes that an honest dialogue between government and citizen is needed; one that dispels distrust and helps to create clarity.

"We expect a telecom company to explain why they're raising the price of their services. We want to know why the teacher at the front of a classroom gives the mark that they do. Similarly, we expect the government to provide justifications that make the right decision seem right. Society will grant a great deal of support for reasonable and responsible behavior," he said.

"True, you cannot bend the truth, for example by merely using national security as an excuse for everything unpleasant. It may be true, but its overuse will ultimately render it untrustworthy," the president added.

"What can lead Estonia forward?" the head of state asked.

"A balanced budget alone is in no way an ambitious goal or the ultimate North Star by which to set our course. One that favours economic growth, encourages job-creation, and attracts foreign investment. Therefore, we must discuss all-encompassing competitiveness -- Estonia's possible trump cards," he said.

Karis underscored the importance of good education.

"Successful futures are not built on ignorance. Especially when the IT business could turn out to be our economy’s North Star -- transforming technologies that are developed in research institutions into tactile products, followed by their mass-production and further development. Estonia is home to many entrepreneurs who have experience in building international companies. They now also have monetary resources and, most importantly, the contacts for bringing in investments," he said.

"Yet, none of this is possible without education and scholarship. What is the long-term financing plan for Estonian education, our support system for university students, and a way to perpetually foster new generations of students, instructors, and researchers? What should be the future of vocational education?" Karis said.

The head of state also highlighted a straightforward and friendly business environment.

"If a successful entrepreneur feels unwanted here after communicating with an official and decides to keep their eyes and ears open to relocate somewhere else in the world, then the situation is dire. Entrepreneurs are, more often than not, honest; they don’t try to cheat the state. Entrepreneurialism is a thing of value, and we must measure twice before enacting one new regulation in Estonia. The market functions quite well on its own, for the most part, and additional regulations don’t necessarily improve it," he noted.

Labor is a thorn in the side of many entrepreneurs, according to Karis.

"Do Estonian students who study abroad feel like they are awaited back home? What is our talent policy? What is our policy of contributing to people more broadly? And another thing -- those who move to Estonia as foreigners must live according to our rules and our language. Limited legal migration, not mass immigration of economic migrants. Then, talented individuals who understand the need to learn the Estonian language and integrate here will enter our country to work and settle down," he said.

The president also mentioned industry.

"Industry isn't something old-fashioned that is due for extinction, and the future doesn't belong to start-ups alone. Together, start-ups and traditional industry have a shared future. We must strive to ensure that Estonia is a favorable location for high-productivity industrial jobs, and that companies originally founded here maintain their ties to the county," he said.

With regard to energy, Karis said that without it, it is impossible to develop industry, and without electricity consumers, it is not worth investing in electrical production.

"In addition to wind turbines and solar panels, the future of environmentally friendly energy requires more flexible industry. That means being open to new technologies and utilizing local technology companies, such as those involved in supercapacitors or electrochemistry," he said. 

Regarding nvestments, the president noted that investors have not fled Estonia, but they do have some concerns -- an air of uncertainty and our own poor communication when explaining the need for large-scale investments. The consequences include our failure to defuse local communities' fears and prevent the intense opposition that often derails big investment projects. 

"Connections. So that we, situated here on the edge of the free world, might export our own goods and be attractive to foreign IT firms. This means multilane highways, a high-speed rail connection to the rest of Europe, as many direct flights as possible, and fast and reliable internet connections in every corner of Estonia, without which remote work is impossible. However, it also entails cultivating a digital "Tiger Leap" and establishing a Tartu–Riga passenger rail connection, which I, as a Tartu native, cannot fail to mention," he went on.

The president said that security and safety remain crucial.

"Russia will remain aggressive and dangerous in the future, and Estonia's defence is not to be taken for granted or something bestowed from somewhere on high. We guarantee it ourselves. It is only the combined efforts of our military, our allies, and our society as a whole that ensure Estonia's lasting defense, ready to answer any attack instantly and devastatingly. Thanks to this, we do not believe that Russia will launch a military attack on NATO and the European Union at this point," he said.

"Nevertheless, we must also consider security more broadly. Estonia is weakened by frozen power lines on Saaremaa, a flooded vegetable field in Harju County, and overheating classrooms. Similar events occur too frequently to be dismissed as random instances of bad weather. Security also includes food security. It includes energy security. It includes city planning," Karis said.

The head of state highlighted the importance of understanding the world and being a leader.

"The world has grown smaller, and never in our lifetime have there been so many hotbeds of crisis as there are today. Deadly wet-bulb temperatures in the Middle East. Tensions in the South China Sea and Africa -- none of these things are far from us. The war in Ukraine and its final outcome will affect those and all conflicts to come," he said.

There is no room for frightened self-limitation when defending the future of the free world, according to the president.

"Not all opportunities for supporting Ukraine and isolating the aggressor on the world stage have been expended yet. If, for example, Kyiv proposes to establish a coalition of NATO members that would help to down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace, then would we support the initiative? We must. Otherwise, we will have stopped halfway once again and failed to give Ukraine the chance to defend its children's hospitals and houses from the deadly missile attacks," he said.

Ideas that may seem impossible today become normality over time, Karis said.

"Estonia was, after all, one of the first brave countries to start supplying weapons to Ukraine. And Estonia was one of the original few who said that the export of Ukrainian grain from the Port of Odesa was necessary and possible in the first place," he said.

Karis highlighted culture as transcendent and the bedrock of all.

"It is a foundation stacked from the figurative limestone of our sovereignty, one upon which Estonia and Estonianness rest. It is our national Song Festival Grounds; our common underpinning and childhood, from which everything springs and sprouts. Culture can never be in excess. Its dearth manifests as the grimace of averageness and superficiality, what Maarja Vaino calls the 'okay-mentality' of indifference that reflects an unwillingness to focus on life, society, emotions, and other depths," he noted.