There is talk of the need to change some ministers: the problems can only get worse in the future

A. Bilotaitė has been repeatedly harshly criticized by opposition leader Saulius Skvernelis, who served as Interior Minister in 2014-2016, opposition parties, and Social Democratic President Vilija Blinkevičiūtė told Lietuvos Rytas television that some ministers they didn’t have to work. in government.

Audronius Ažubalis, a representative of the Krikdems, also spoke on air from Delfi about the need to change some ministers. Read about it here.

Dumbliauskas: Managers face not only the problem of personalities, but also the problem of leadership

According to Vytautas Dumbliauskas, a professor at the Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), the criticism of some ministers is based not only on the political deductions of the opponents.

“Bilotaite is having difficulties in my head. She, I think, was a good member of the Seimas when she worked, she was active, I remembered her as a member of the Seimas, she was not one of those in which she did nothing. (…) Bilotaitė was without a doubt one of those Seimas members who is actively working in that ministerial position in a normal situation, without all the migrants, without the struggle, it would have been four years that she would have been quite normal. ” Delphi commented the political scientist.

At the same time, as noted by V. Dumbliauskas, A. Bilotaitė is said to have no authority in the internal affairs system.

“I believe that the party, and I have heard such speeches, that in the Unión de la Patria some people would think that changes should be made. There is only one hypothesis that he does not want to change at this moment, so that he does not seem weak or that he has succumbed to pressure, ”continued the MRU lecturer.

However, there is another problem with this: leadership. According to V. Dumbliauskas, the National Union faces a leadership problem when the party’s leader, Gabriel Landsbergis, takes over as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“The party has many problems, it is heterogeneous, it has many opinion groups. (…) In this case, the problem. The president of the party should be the prime minister: this is the rule of democracy. “Karbauskis came up with an experiment here, going himself to the shadows, and now to the Union of the Fatherland,” said the expert.

Therefore, according to him, those in power face personality and leadership problems, but changing ministers, as V. Dumbliauskas pointed out, is not something tragic.

“The party must count. It also has a certain blow in the sense of reputation, but if the person from Bilotaitė provokes more negative reactions from society than positive, it is also not good for the party to consider such a minister. There has to be one. measure, perhaps even a matter of political intuition, ”said the MRU lecturer.

In evaluating the criticisms of his own, V. Dumbliauskas considered that perhaps A. Ažubalis, a representative of the flank of the Christian church, simply feels unheard of within the party, for which he criticized the ministers in public.

“Maybe Azubalis doesn’t feel heard at the party? You may be asking that question, but you are not answering it. I guess so. Then, as a last resort, it is made public and expresses part of the party’s opinion. I don’t think he thinks that alone, ”said the political scientist.

He puts his finger on the ratings to find a way to replace the criticized Bilotaitė

V. Dumbliauskas also drew attention to the latest Vilmorus ratings published by Lietuvos Rytas. They showed that all ministers are viewed negatively.

“Sociological surveys at least show a trend, they cannot be ignored. Armonaitė was the last in the Vilmorus survey, (…) this shows something that she knew how to present to society with her activities and languages ​​”, said the expert.

According to him, as people, both Aušrinė Armonaitė and A. Bilotaitė are intelligent and educated, but, according to V. Dumbliauskas, those positions also require exceptional personal qualities.

“It is normal for the ministers to change during their term. Even when there were 4-5 ministers changed during the period, there has been a case that more than half and then the government needs to get a new term. Sure, half of the ministers they will not really change, but I would not see a tragedy. The position of Minister is temporary, that is why I am deeply convinced that the Minister must be a member of the Seimas to return to the Seimas, because he is sitting on the coals “, emphasized the MRU speaker.

Commenting on whether the Conservatives have anything that could replace A. Bilotaitė, V. Dumbliauskas responded that people can really be found.

“It is very difficult for her now, she is obviously confused. Nothing tragic here. Perhaps Kasčiūnas would fit into that position because he showed leadership. When those migrants crossed the border floating hundreds, the only one from the National Union, Kasčiūnas showed that he could be a leader.” said the political scientist.

Ivanov: The rhetoric of some ministers recalls trolinimą

Bernaras Ivanovas, a political scientist at the Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), similarly commented on the criticisms of the ministers, according to which some ministers are illiterate in general knowledge.

“From the beginning, when the Government was formed, fears were expressed that the work capacity of some ministers was in doubt. The doubts here are not related to the competencies themselves, (…) but purely in the sense of literacy , life experience, education ”, said the expert.

Some ministers, according to B. Ivanov, lack communication skills.

“They have a hard time formulating thoughts, then they have to speak three times and get worse and worse. Furthermore, the lexicon, especially of some ministers, is simply unacceptable for such political discourse. It may be acceptable on social media, but it reminds me of not just the answers to the questions, but trolinimą“Remarked the interlocutor.

In his opinion, ministers should also avoid the characteristic position of the “righteous”, when all opponents are called traitors.

“All others are the dividers of the nation, the enemies who work for all our traitors. We hear that because any criticism is met with great hostility, I would say that improperly, opponents are often accused of being all Russian agents, which I think is completely unacceptable, “Ivanov commented.

The quality of politics, as Vytautas University political scientist Magnus emphasized, is not favored by the extremely poor opposition.

So their place, naturally, especially in crisis situations, is occupied by various margins. Then they come, they devalue even more, they undermine the discussion, which turns into a street discussion, ”said the expert.

The Minister, according to him, it is especially important to speak solidly, respect the opponent.

“There is a policy of intimidation. It is clear that these proposals will not be accepted, but it is used in the public sphere as a threat, an intimidation. This must also be categorically avoided, since it generally removes the very basis of legal principles, which it is important in a strategic sense, ”said B. Ivanov.

He reminded V. Dumbliauskas that the leaders of the TS-LKD also lack leadership, because G. Landsbergis has other tasks in his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“The fact that I am a minister, maybe fine, but one way or another it is necessary to maintain a very broad flow, and to endure it, I think, even for a very skilled person with a lot of experience, it is difficult. “said a political scientist from Vytautas Magnus University.

There is a lack of government behind this.

B. Ivanov also pointed out that the government of Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė simply does not have a serious back.

“There is nothing that can be called the backbone of the government that can adequately resist that position and in a way that is accepted by the opponents. Kubilius, our political personality, was really controversial, but he was able to resist, he had respect, he was respected by the opponents of the Socdems, from other fields. It’s a kind of coworking story, a personal experience. In this case, it is not like that, Šimonytė has no back ”, stated the interlocutor.

Speaking about the criticisms made by A. Azubalis to the ministers, B. Ivanov said that this could be due both to the practical and political interests of cricket and to the fact that his opinion was not heard.

“In a democratic society, a party that works on a democratic basis, internal discussion is very important and it is very important to perfect the common position, which would not go through separate channels, but together. We do not see this, “said the political scientist.

However, according to him, TS-LKD would certainly find something to replace some ministers, because the team of professionals is large.

“I think with the political will, I would really find people who can work. Bilotaitė was supposed to be gone, I think, many months ago, but it has already happened. (…) They could, if they wanted, many people suggested certain changes and it would not be a weakness, on the contrary – recognizing certain errors is an illustration of strength ”, emphasized B. Ivanov.

“There is never a right time, the time is always wrong, and the further away, the more inappropriate,” he added.