10
EESTI ELU reedel, 24. jaanuaril 2020 — Friday, January 24, 2020
Nr. 3
Buddhist Against Empire (III)
Gallery: Director Tanel Toom wins Postimees’ Person of the Year award
Marju Broder, Independent Researcher Organizing Chair for International Conferences Buddhism & Australia, Perth Australia F. My idea was to be an EastWest mediator Vaartnou continues: My idea was to be an East-West media tor but as we see, Esto nians couldn’t do it. The rich neigh bor must still be exploited. I told about this idea to Eve Pärnaste at that time, but she screamed – in no way. My actions forced Russia to offside politically because all Western society had already formed a position on Russia, and Estonia would have had a very good opportunity to mediate trade and administration between Russia and the West at national and government level. With this, Estonia would have earned a lot of capital to develop its statehood. Estonia would have had a favorable opportunity for that. I know that it would have been a difficult solution for Estonians. But economically thousands times more useful. Because no food is bought for freedom, but for money. As economic chaos in Russia pre vailed, Estonia would have benefited from mediation assis tance organized at the govern mental level. I was thinking about the economy when all the people were yelling about free dom. I would have been a friend with Russia because he always remains our neighbor. When the dissidents made the Deer Park meeting, I thought they were just gawky and naive. My idea (ENIP) was political and came for Moscow as a lightning from the sky, Moscow was not ready for that.” G. 14 people wanted an inde pendent Estonia Vaartnou: “In 1987, when I had a program ready, I went to Eve Pärnaste who was a secre tary of the Buddhist Brother hood at that time, and said, we are going to do the political party. The same evening we went to Erik Udam and I told Udam that it is necessary to do
a party – on which Erik lighted a cigaret, the thing he hadn’t done for 20 years. I explained to Erik that it is necessary to declare indepen dence and the Republic of Estonia because the Soviet Union is economically broke because it has been buying crop for gold already four years (this fact made Andropov to hospital at that time). It was the best factor we could have. Declaring independence would spoil Mos cow plan which aimed to apply new economic policy (‘pere stroika’) but certainly intended to keep together the soviet empire. I started looking for people to form an active group that will deal with proposal. As Eve Pärnaste was a convinced Budd hist at that time, and was also a secretary of the Buddhist Brotherhood, she run the party activities as secretary. At the time I was in Estonia, Pärnaste did what I told him. After my expulsion, Pärnaste started to act according to the understand ing of dissidents. Because dissi dents were not very sharp in politics, they were only able to make the party half a year later. I traveled around Estonia and was looking for people to sup port the proposal. Most people refused to sign the proposal, in cluding all these communists who nowadays proclaim that they also fought for the Repub lic of Estonia. In total, I found 14 people who wanted the Republic of Estonia. There were about 1.5 million inhabitants in Estonia and there were no more people who would have wanted an independent republic. Lagle Parek (later chairman of ENIP ) whom I turned to, said- no way I would sign the petition, and added that I would kill the Estonian people with it. Viktor Niitsoo ( ENIP member from August 1988) told me that he will not sign such a suspi
ERR, January 2020
cious thing and will not parti cipate in such a provocative event. So, MRP -AEG group and Proposal for ENIP were com pletely separate things. No one of MRP AEG dissidents dared to travel to Moscow with me as I offered. During that period, my secretary Eve Parnaste was a Buddhist, now she has changed to Christianity. Reli gious prin ciples changed, also political views changed, this is religious and political prostitution. She left ENIP in 1993, joined with Reform Party which consists of ex-communists, and recently with CPPE” H. At that time, nobody just made a press conference All were strictly regulated and guarded, and the offices of the Western press were only present in the capital of the Soviet Union. It was ironic that, apart from a few collections of self-publishing, the Vaartnou would not have other place than Moscow to announce indepen dence and ENIP. Vaartnou: “We went with Arvi Orula to Leningrad to meet one person who was help ing in organizing of a press conference in Moscow, thanks to the help of a spokesman for the US Embassy in Moscow. We went to Leningrad, and we were followed by the KGB. In order to get rid of them, we drove by car around Leningrad and then I jumped out of the car on a ride and rolled into the
Estonian Central Council 2020 and future changes in structure TORONTO – The Estonian Central Council in Canada’s 2020 national council will con sist of 21 members from across Canada. The members, who have all been acclaimed in accordance with the Estonian Central Council election by-law, will begin their term after the first National Council meeting which will take place in the late winter in Toronto. According to the Estonian Council in Canada’s election bylaws, whenever there are less than 25 Council candidates, all candidates in an election are acclaimed. “The Estonian Central Council and its Election Committee thank all the candidates and volunteers who have volunteered their time and effort to the Council and this process,” said EKN election com mittee chairman, Matti Prima. “We are especially proud of the e-Registration movement that enrolled nearly 200 voters. We encourage EKN’s new council to continue this campaign to modernize its proce dures and assert its leadership among the Global Estonian Program.” The EKN Election Committee has been informed that in the coming 12-18 months, EKN will be undertaking a m ajor effort to overhaul its constitution and formally register itself with federal agen cies. As such, how EKN representatives are chosen will also be revised and updated to ensure that community organizations and their volunteer leaders and stakeholders have an ongoing say the development of policy and EKN’s advocacy work. “The process of renewal and modernization that was started four years ago, is just the beginning,” said outgoing President Marcus Kolga. “I would like to thank Matti Prima for his excellent efforts over the past months with this election process, and I wish the new members of the National Council all the best in this new term.” The Estonian Central Coun cil was established in 1954. EKN represents the interests of all Canadians of Estonian heritage and advocates on their b ehalf. MATTI PRIMA, EKN Election Committee Chairman TAAVI TAMTIK, EKN Election Committee Vice-Chairman
snowdrift next to the road. There were two KGB machines rushing up, without noticing that there was only one person in the car because it was too dark. I went to talk with my contact person and the date, time and place of the press conference were agreed. But Eve Pärnaste wrote later that it was Eke Pärt Nomm. But only myself and my friend and Buddhist Enn Jaan son knew about the details of the press conference. With Enn I had agreed that he will go separately, before us to Moscow with all the necessary docu ments and papers (copies). Apart from two of us, no body knew this back-up option. It was agreed that if I had been arrested, Enn would conduct a press conference himself be cause Enn was able to speak English. We had a meeting point at Mayakovsky Square and we had agreed to see each other three times on Maya kovsky Square and wave. First, when I arrive in Moscow and drive via Mayakovsky Square. Second, if I am already going to a press conference. Third, when I drive away after the press conference. That is exactly what happened. After my expulsion in February 1988, Enn Jaanson was killed one month later by the KGB. He was poisoned.”
(to be continued)
Estonia’s third quarter government debt remains lowest in EU BNS, January 2020 As of the end of the third quarter of 2019, while Greece had the highest debt level among European Union mem ber states, Estonia remained the EU member state with the lowest level of government debt, it appears from data published by Eurostat on Wednesday. The lowest government debt to GDP ratios at the end of the third quarter of last year were recorded in Estonia at 9.2 percent, Luxembourg at 20.2 percent, and Bulgaria at 20.6 percent. The highest ratios, mean while, were recorded in Greece at 178.2 percent, Italy at 137.3
Postimees awarded Tanel Toom, the director of the movie “Truth and Justice”, the Person of the Year 2019 award on Tuesday. Toom said: “It came as a big surprise to me, of course, I couldn’t expect it. Any recogni tion is nice, but I imagined that a person of the year could be come a scientist, surgeon or firefighter or someone who does more real things or more beneficial to society. “ Hendrik Alla, a film editor at Postimees, said Toom has made a fantastic achievement because he was able to create a film that touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of viewers on the basis of a book that every Estonian has a vision of. “As a film editor, I am particularly pleased this is the fourth time in the history of the Postimees Person of the Year award that a person involved in film has been recognized,” he added. After graduating from Tallinn University with a degree in Film, Toom went on to study for a Master’s degree in feature film at the National Film & Television School in England. In 2008, his short film “The Second Coming” was selected for the Venice Film Festival. In 2010, he won the Oscar for Student Film in the Foreign Film category with his short film “Tightness,” and in 2011 he was nominated for the Best Short Film Oscar. In 2019, Toomi’s first feature film “Truth and Justice” was released as part of the EV100 film program, breaking the record for cinema visits in Estonia and reaching the Oscar shortlist for a foreign language film. Tanel Toom’s second full-length feature film “Gateway 6” is currently under way, starring actors Leo Suter and Olga Kurylenko. The Postimees Man of the Year Award was awarded for the 23rd time. percent, Portugal at 120.5 per cent, Belgium at 102.3 percent, and France at 100.5 percent. Compared with the second quarter of 2019, four member states registered an increase and 23 members a decrease in their debt to GDP ratio at the end of the third quarter; the ratio re mained stable in Germany. In creases were recorded in Ro mania at 1.4, France at 0.9, Slovenia at 0.4, and Bulgaria at 0.2 percentage points. The lar gest decreases, meanwhile, were recorded in Cyprus at 9.2, Malta at 2.3, the Netherlands at 1.7 and Finland at 1.5 percent age points.
E STO N I A N LI F E Your source of news about Estonia and Estonians, home and abroad
