33 years ago, the dream of Estonia being an independent country again came true. Our country. On this day of restoration of independence, I invite all my compatriots to acknowledge that as a nation of millions, we have been able to do great things – in science, culture, sports, economy – and restore our country. We have had courage and confidence, despite all security and economic concerns, tax increases and other difficulties.
In the autumn of 1991, we looked to the distant past, to the former Republic of Estonia, but on the other hand, we also had to look to the future and ask which part of our heritage deserves to be revived as a lasting value. What should the Estonian country that we are restoring be like? The past, present and future were intertwined in this question of questions.
When the state of Estonia was born, an unwavering desire to create a state based on justice, law and freedom was expressed. After long years of occupation, freedom was put first as a value, because we had understood: in a country without freedom, justice becomes an empty word and laws become a bare instrument of power.
The restoration of the Republic of Estonia was also the consolidation and development of this country – that’s what the new constitution said. And this task is before us even today: to secure and develop the country, which is founded on freedom, justice and law. These are the words that define the being and essence of Estonia. We need to think about what kind of attention these three core values require of us now.
According to Valdur Mikita’s beautiful explanation, the word “attention” comes from the time of ancient seafaring, when a ship was put on the “star”, the direction set according to the North Pole.
Freedom, justice and law are our North Pole, observing which helps Estonia always find a way to favorable waters.
Without freedom, we cannot escape the downward spiral of the birth rate. Of course, it can be said that a nation with vitality will survive and let people decide for themselves how many children they want, because coercion and shaming will not produce more children. As a father and grandfather, I don’t want to decide such a personal choice for anyone. But I know that in addition to love, this choice can be influenced by general security, quality of life, the opportunity to choose both career and family, sufficient income, access to good childcare, affordable housing, favorable interests of children, also the predictability of child benefits, which is not reduced by constant talk about their cuts.
But above all, current and future parents are waiting for a child-friendly Estonia, which must be an effort of the whole society. Children are wanted in child-friendly Estonia, and a wanted child is the happiest.
Many people perceive the government as an enemy that wears down the people. This is a dangerous development that cannot simply be blamed on a mistake. People want to understand why they are being taxed and how their money is being used. It is not enough to confirm that the state’s expenses and revenues are not in balance. Government policy may be right, but people must perceive it as right and fair. If power seems unfair, trust in that power and ultimately in one’s own country is eroded.
A country cannot be clouded if a person cannot see where his support is.
Raising taxes tends to seem unfair, especially when the economy is in decline and many are struggling to make ends meet. I understand the angst. At the same time, I am sure that it is easier to come to terms with taxes if it is believed that the burden is distributed fairly and that with the help of taxes, children can study at school and young people at the university, that with their help the sick are treated, the old are taken care of, the streets are safe, the border is maintained and the country is protected.
We need an honest dialogue between the government and the citizens, which dispels mistrust and helps create clarity. We are waiting for an explanation from the telecom company as to why it is increasing the price of the service. We want to know from the teacher who is standing in front of the class, why he gives that kind of grade. In the same way, we expect arguments from the government so that the right decision can be perceived as right. Intelligent and responsible behavior has quite a lot of support in society.
It is true that trust cannot be distorted, for example, by justifying everything unpleasant only with a security threat, which is real, but the abuse of which eventually makes this threat itself unreliable.
We are used to being one step ahead of many competitors. The recession has left us behind now.
What would take Estonia forward? A balanced budget alone is not a very ambitious goal, that final North Pole to set the ship precisely on course. What would promote economic growth, encourage job creation in Estonia and bring your companies here? So we have to talk about comprehensive competitiveness, that is, what could be Estonia’s trump cards.
Smart people. A successful future is not built on stupidity. Especially if technology entrepreneurship could be the North Pole of our economy – turning technologies developed in research institutions into tangible products, their mass production and further development. There are a number of entrepreneurs in Estonia who have experience in building an international company, now also have money and, more importantly, contacts to attract investments.
However, this is not possible without education and training. But what is the long-term funding plan for education, the student support system, the irreversibility of the succession of teachers, lecturers and researchers? And what should be the future of vocational education?
Simple and friendly business environment. If a successful entrepreneur feels after communicating with officials that he is not wanted here and starts looking around the world with open eyes to leave, then things are bad. As a rule, entrepreneurs are honest and do not try to defraud the state. Entrepreneurship is a value and must be measured seven times before setting a new limit here. The market works pretty well on its own for the most part, and additional restrictions don’t necessarily make it better.
Labor force. A pain point for many entrepreneurs. Do young people who left Estonia to study elsewhere feel that they are welcome back here? What is our talent policy? More broadly, the politics of investing in people? And also – those who come to Estonia as foreigners must live by our rules and our language. Selective legal migration, not mass immigration of economic refugees. Then talented people who understand the necessity of learning and integrating the Estonian language will come to work and stay here.
Industry. The industry is not something old-fashioned that must die out and the future belongs only to startups. They are the future together with the old, traditional industry, together with each other. Efforts must be made to establish highly productive industrial jobs in Estonia and to ensure that the companies that started here remain connected to Estonia.
Energetics. Without energy, it is not possible to develop industry, and without electricity consumers, it is not worth investing in electricity production. The future of environmentally friendly energy requires the addition of flexible industry in addition to wind turbines and solar panels. It is openness to new technologies and taking advantage of the opportunities of local technology companies, for example in supercapacitors or electrochemistry.
Investments. In other words, like Robert Kit: you have to invest yourself out of the recession, new investments create jobs and added value. Investors have not disappeared from Estonia, but we have some concerns here – a feeling of uncertainty and our own poor double-talk in explaining the need for large investments. In this way, the fears of the communities remain unaddressed and their passionate opposition, which often hits large-scale investment projects, remains unprevented.
Connections. So that technology companies from other countries would like to export here from the edge of the free world or come here. This is multi-lane highways and a fast rail connection to Europe, as many direct flights as possible or a decent internet connection in every corner of Estonia, without which remote work is not possible. But it is also the growth of the leaping ability of the digital tiger and even the Tartu-Ria train line, I cannot help but say as a Tartu resident.
Safety and security. Russia will remain aggressive and dangerous in the future as well, and Estonia’s defense is not self-evident or given from somewhere higher. It’s our own take. Estonia remains protected only by the joint effort of our defense forces and the entire society and allies, ready for an immediate and destructive counterattack in the event of an attack. Thanks to this, we do not see that Russia could attack NATO and the European Union militarily at the moment.
But we also have to think about security more broadly. Frozen power lines in Saaremaa, rain-soaked vegetable fields in Harjumaa and overheated classrooms make us weaker. Things like this happen too often to be considered random bad weather. Security is also food security, energy supply, and urban planning.
Understanding the world and the role of a leader. The world has become smaller, and never in our lifetime have there been so many high-explosive crisis hotbeds as there are now. Boiling point in the Middle East. Tensions in the South China Sea or in Africa – all this is not far from us. The war in Ukraine and its outcome will also affect these and all future conflicts.
Fearful self-restraint has no place in the defense of the future of the free world. All options for supporting Ukraine and isolating the aggressor on the world stage have not been exhausted yet. If, for example, Kiev proposes to create a coalition with NATO countries that would help shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, will we support it? We should support. Otherwise, we will be stuck halfway again and will not give Ukraine a chance to protect their children’s hospitals and residential buildings from a deadly missile attack.
Thoughts that seem impossible today will become normal over time. After all, Estonia was one of the first brave people who started sending weapons to Ukraine. And it was the same with the export of Ukrainian grain from the port of Odessa, where Estonia was one of the few at the beginning who said that it was necessary and also possible.
Culture. The Supreme and the basis of everything. The foundation wall of our self-being, laid out of imaginary limestone, on which Estonia and the Estonian language rests. This is our national singing field, our common background and childhood, where everything begins and from which everything sprouts. There is never too much culture. His scarcity manifests itself as a grimace of mediocrity and superficiality, as Maarja Vaino formulated an indifferent okay-mentality, which reflects an unwillingness to delve into the depths of life, society, the world of feelings and more.
Estonia’s largest schoolchildren’s space competition “Eesti otsib estronaut” (Estonia is looking for an astronaut) recently ended under the leadership of the AHHAA Science Center. I like the purpose of this competition – to motivate young people to study space-related specialties and to promote the development of deep technology in Estonia.
I especially like the answer of Rasmus Kolts, one of the winners of the competition, to the question of what prerequisites a person must have in order to do well in the space competition, as well as in space. I quote: “You have to be very confident, understand what’s going on. And evaluate your abilities very well – so as not to overestimate yourself, but also not to underestimate yourself.”
This self-confidence helped Estonia 33 years ago, it helped later, it helps now and it will help in the future.
And if we now wish for a good day of regaining independence, then, repeating 16-year-old Rasmus Kolts, let’s wish ourselves and each other self-confidence and faith in our abilities.
Long live Estonia! Our Estonia!
2024-08-20 16:02:47
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