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Conversation between the president of the Seimas V. Čmilytė-Nielsen and the journalist Jolanta Svirnelyte about vacations, family and work in power.
The most beautiful holidays of the year, people are sitting at tables, on televisions. He hasn’t said so long ago that there is no need for quarantine, no major restrictions. And now that? You have come to power and here is, please.
Well, not quite. We came to power at a really difficult time. At a time that requires bold decisions. Apparently, it is already a part of women for women to take responsibility when it is the most difficult time. I hope and hope that the decisions we have had to make are worthwhile, that people are responsible, and that this vacation brings peace to our homes. And some moderation, because without it we will not do without this period.
And what does Christmas mean to your family? How do you celebrate, maybe you have some traditions?
Our Christmas is very traditional. Bigger even a celebration, very quiet, peaceful, is Christmas Eve. We celebrate in a very traditional way, the children are eager for Christmas, the twelve traditional dishes. In that sense, we are a very traditional family.
Before the holidays, you had to experience for yourself what a coronavirus is. How did you get sick and how did your family get infected? All went well?
Both myself and my family were sick. Thank God we contracted that disease easily and I did not experience what that meant. devoured means, medium. I worked practically all the time, very remotely. Just clearly, sadly, many people experience much more complex complications and we all have to be careful.
And how were your family members, husband, children, how did they get sick, who was the most difficult?
He also got sick easily. Fortunately, for children in general, the virus is not that dangerous. The older members of the family were a little more seriously ill, but they also stayed home.
During the holidays you are at home, as a family, with children. What about life when you are in Vilnius and your family in Šiauliai?
On weekends in Šiauliai, Vilnius I spend the whole working week. I come here Monday morning, I come back on Friday after work. Of course, this is not easy. On the other hand, duties impose some responsibility, this one. And the other thing is that any mom with a career is well aware that combining these things is not easy. But it’s also a fun challenge.
Living in a city is already a challenge, and now a man with four children. How do you manage?
Handles perfectly. We also have other helpers, grandparents. I think he’s doing well. I am proud to have such close people who help me.
And isn’t it the case that a man says, “Now that you’re back, I won’t let you in the door”? Many things are probably everyday: care, food, a hundred million things.
I consider myself a very happy mother and woman, because the second I walk through the door of the house, men who miss me attack me and I am very happy about that. It’s always good to be so welcome. Of course, when I go to work, sometimes there are also tears from me.
And who cries the most?
Probably the smallest (laughs).
And how do children miss you? Doesn’t he grab hold of the leg and say “I won’t let you?”
Everything happens. It was everything, even when I was a chess pro, because then I had to leave for a long time, several weeks, sometimes three weeks in a row. The older children were small at the time. That lifestyle is nothing new.
You mentioned your experience with chess. Do you wear it while working at the Seimas? Maybe that push from Karbauskis was your walk as a chess player?
When chess players play checkers, they get very strange games (laughs).
But yes, the experience of chess players is useful in everything, it is useful in life. Anyway, the experience of a professional athlete who has learned not only to win but also to lose with honor is very useful in life.
The experience of an athlete is one, but we arrived at the Seimas and here the experience is obviously quite different. How would you evaluate what is happening now? Is it really possible to reach an agreement here? We also hear the main politicians of the country say that they have agreed with the factions, the party representatives, they promised, and when necessary, they do not.
I don’t think politicians are that drastically different from other people. Here is everything. Of course, there is a breach of promises, there is also a very beautiful and honorable word. I like working in politics, it seems to me a significant activity. I’m especially glad when you manage to not only agree but also focus. Not only with like-minded people, but also with those who think otherwise to find common solutions. It’s a really good feeling.
After the elections, many people joked that women would come and now they would rule Lithuania. But there is another thing with women’s governance: it is said that several women in a place do not always agree. How are women doing in management? Still not a mess?
It seems to me the opposite: women are not so willing to manage. Insofar as I have had to interact with male politicians and female politicians, the fundamental difference, if we look for differences, is the focus of ambition. Women tend to have slightly less of them and are more likely to seek compromises. Sharing would also be wrong, since it depends on human characteristics.
Let’s go back to the fact that Christmas is coming. What would you like to say, wish, what is the most important thing at this time?
The most important thing at this time is to protect each other. Be careful. Appreciate what we have. Learn the lessons that the challenging decade of 2020 has given us. Just remember what are the most important things: health, happiness of those closest to you, closeness. And of course, take those lessons into 2021.
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