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As is often the case with ladies of venerable age and their babies, the newborn turned out prematurely and with clear signs of political malformation. Hurriedly, yet with provincial pomp, it was christened Democratic Labour and Unity Party (DDVP) and the child started on its short existence that will end in eight months when the young DDVP will be buried in the Parliamentary electoral cemetery, even before it learns to walk.
What will DDVP represent, who are the ones that it is supposed to “unite”? The ex-hostess of a 16-storey hotel – that she received almost gratis, courtesy of the late Brazauskas – and her contractors, “LUKoil” representatives in Lithuania? What do they have in common with all those who were far less fortunate during the privatization period and didn't get anything? Or maybe it will be a party for all those who celebrate their first marriage very early and then re-marry, at a much more mature age? It is what Madame Kristina told everyone on TV.
The presidential widow boasts that her party unites those who want to see Lithuania changing for the better. Deary me! Has there ever been anyone claiming to change Lithuania for the worse? Another lady from Kaunas who makes a living showing off her natural endowments (a burlesque dancer Eglija Vaitkevičė, who announced her intentions of running for Parliament), too, says that all she desires is to serve the nation. So let her into the Parliament.
There are people that, as the saying goes, not even physicians can stay mad at. What's the point, therefore, of foaming and raising existential questions?
Suffice to note that it sounds rather hypocritical when Mrs Brazauskienė – who privatized, almost for nothing, Lithuania's second largest hotel, who currently lives in presidential residence in Turniškės, and who, in addition, demands a presidential allowance from the state – rants about the gap between the rich and the poor who do not and never will have any of the assets she possesses.
The latter will have plenty of choice among the new pre-electoral crop of new parties promising to “unite”, to lead on the “road of courage”, to take care of those overseas and their culture, sports and arts.
Permit me to note a striking affinity among all these newborn parties – insistently non-ideological, critical of absolutely all and every one of the old parties and MPs, and eager to represent all citizens without exception – they are conceived in Kaunas and by true children of Lithuania's second-largest city; Madame Kristina, too, is originally from Vandžiogala, a place next to Kaunas and Garliava.
Here is a list of only those parties that entered the political scene over the last year: the new movement “United Kaunas” that Mr Matjošaitis set up right before last year's municipal elections; the above-mentioned joint venture of Mrs Brazauksienė and V.Šustauskas; then there is the Emigrant Party; the party “Road of Courage” of judge Nijolė Venckienė (sister of late Drąsius Kedys, protagonist of the so-called Paedophilia Scandal, who shot two people he accused of molesting his daughter and was later found dead himself; “Road of Courage” or “Drąsos kelias” is a play on his name); and, finally, a true crown-jewel – banker Vladimir Romanov's party for sport, culture and art.
It goes without saying that none of the new party leaders want anything for themselves.
The father of psychoanalysis and expert on contradictions Sigmund Freud would certainly draw our attention to the fact that most of these “popular” and all-inclusive parties are being set up in total secrecy and by people who do not necessarily have much to do with Lithuania, but always have much to do with money. Since most of them are of respectable age, can it be mere whims of mid-life crisis?
But is it realistic for the likes of Mr Romanov – who cannot dance but by some mysterious chance won TV's “Dancing with the Stars” contest – to win, by similar chance, a seat in the Parliament?
God acts in mysterious ways and Lithuanian electors even more so. This nation has already given more mandates to Viktor Uspaskichas than late Brezhnev gave legions of honour to himself. It is madly in love with the communists, yesterday's villains who returned to favour by irresponsibly promising that ham will, once again, cost 2.2 and petroleum – 0.4. It elected those who proclaimed that we “deserve to live better.” And it showed favour to those who didn't promise anything, just giggled how funny it would be when they're in the Parliament.
So if this country is so generous to the beloved Uspaskichas – who is politically all right even after having fled criminal charges to Russia – and the king-of-crab-sticks Matijošaitis, why shouldn't Romanov try his luck.
We have found our last 22 years of freedom so much wanting that now absolutely anyone can claim our votes. But what we lack most – more than good government, respect for citizens and their rights, jobs (or, rather yet, good pay), and more than good sense (lack of which is painfully obvious everywhere one looks) – is patience. That's all there is to say.
