Vladas Oleinikov, president of PLJS: “I would like us not to draw lines, but to look for common ground”

15 minutes He spoke with V. Oleinikov about the contribution of the Lithuanian diaspora, the preservation of identity, chemistry, the current problems in Lithuania and possible future prospects.

– Vlad, how would you like to be introduced?

– I don’t like being introduced only as president of the Lithuanian World Youth Union – I tend to call myself the chairman of the board more often. This position is not limited to my own representation; I also trust the board with which we coordinate the official position of the organization.

But I also don’t want to deny my professional side. I am always happy when what I do in my professional life is presented: I am a scientist. I currently work for a pharmaceutical company that develops new drug designs. Perhaps it would be better to say possible drug designs, as this process is still at a fairly early stage.

– You have led the Lithuanian World Youth Union for some time. What makes this union special, what are its activities?

– Probably the most important feature of PLJS is that it unites an extremely wide range of youth. And Lithuanian youth is very widespread: from Australia, Brazil, Argentina to the United States, Canada and many European countries. It is a compound that covers about thirty different states. The history of the organization is really interesting, because it was formed in the diaspora when Lithuania was busy. The first World Youth Congress of Lithuania was held in 1966. In Chicago, and the Union was established during the Second Congress in 1972.

Another important feature is that the PLJS is constantly young or, in other words, constantly renewed. This is both a strength and a weakness: on the one hand, it is difficult to maintain consistency, but on the other hand, the organization is flexible, so it can adapt to today’s problems.

Previously, Lithuania’s aspiration for independence was considered indisputably relevant, therefore, several active members of this union contributed to the restoration of the freedom of Lithuania and became prominent actors. Both President Valdas Adamkus and Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, for example, participated in youth conferences in their time.

Lithuanian youth is very widespread: from Australia, Brazil, Argentina to the United States, Canada and many European countries.

– I dare say that the importance of Lithuanian communities in the world is of unquestionable value. What could all Lithuanians living in Lithuania do to make such foreign organizations exist? What to contribute?

– First of all, know it, educate. But here, it seems to me, there is a problem with the Lithuanian educational system and the teaching of history. From what I remember of school, we rarely talked about diaspora activities. Although the diaspora itself was sufficiently involved in both the first restoration of the republic and the second.

Member of the Lithuanian World Community Board Dr. Rimvydas Baltaduonis likes to emphasize that almost all of the signatories to the February 16 Independence Law have studied or lived abroad. The diaspora was involved in major political decisions, such as the Council of Lithuania, which once sought authorization from foreign Lithuanian organizations to act on behalf of Lithuania.

Today, however, everything seems to be left out. Even the activities of the Santara-Light Federation, the World Lithuanian Community, the Lithuanian Community in the United States. The latter made a special effort to ensure that the United States would never recognize the occupation of Lithuania as legitimate.

Lithuanians from around the world also made a significant contribution to the restoration of independence in the 1990s. Some of them courageously decided to come to Lithuania during this critical period and help maintain this freedom. Their efforts were clearly reflected in the field of communication, as they were able to better communicate in foreign languages ​​with the western world. Lithuanians from all over the world became the living media, representing the Sūjūdis, in different countries.

Representatives of the Lithuanian community in the world also later contributed to Lithuania’s easy accession to NATO and other organizations. Unfortunately, I only hear these and other stories now. They are absolutely amazing and inspiring, but educational systems are not adequately reflected.

The diaspora was involved in major political decisions, such as the Council of Lithuania, which once sought authorization from foreign Lithuanian organizations to act on behalf of Lithuania.

– So do you think these topics should be the first focus in school?

– Yes, I would like adequate attention to be given to the study of diaspora history. Then, for the young people themselves, the foreign Lithuanian organizations will become not strangers, but their own. When they leave, it will be easier for them to join diaspora organizations, thus developing a stronger relationship with the Homeland as well.

Prof. historian E.Aleksandravičius likes to remember that even in A.Šapoka’s interwar history, the theme of Lithuanians in the world accounted for fifteen percent of the book’s content, while in our history textbooks, I doubt if there would be more two. I don’t see the need to hide or avoid that topic in any way.

Paradoxically, when I graduated from school, I would consider studying abroad. Then he was surrounded by ambiguous emotions: in 2010. The problem of emigration has intensified in the media, so I almost felt compelled to justify that he was not one of those “bad migrants”, but simply wanted to study .

Due to the negative image of the emigrants, at first there was even thought of avoiding the local Lithuanian community. However, in the long run, I saw their meaningful activities, how they voluntarily teach their children the Lithuanian language and do their best to keep in touch with Lithuania. This is the great potential of our country, which I think we will gradually discover.

– It can be said that you left Lithuania a decade ago. How has the image of Lithuania changed in your eyes during that time? In other words, are we more recognized and recognized than Lithuania in 2010?

– Are we talking about the image of Lithuania in the country where I live – England?

– It’s possible. Or in general, because you travel a lot.

– I would say that I can see more clearly how Lithuania is changing, because periodically I come back myself. After longer breaks, you begin to clearly notice how the image of the present stands out with your memories.

Let’s say that in my native Kaunas, there has been a rebirth for a while now: more and more young people are becoming involved in the cultural life of the city. But if one were to consider the image of Lithuania in the context of England, it is still not so bright. The English have little to learn about Europe in general, and this is reflected quite well in the current results (smiles).

Unless the locals have been in direct contact with the Lithuanians, which is quite likely, because there are quite a few Lithuanians there. I had a surprise when I interacted with colleagues from other cities or universities: “Oh, I meet a person from Lithuania for the first time!”. In such cases, it feels like you are part of creating the image of Lithuania.

– President G. Nausėda has said that we must first be Lithuanians, then Europeans and everything else. How do you rate such statements? And do you think it is possible to reconcile the identities of a Lithuanian and European or global citizen?

– Everyone has the right to their own identity. This is not what the state should establish. I would say how that “everything else” should look. First, people generally identify with their social circle: family or friends. After that there are additional connections to the state, culture, in a broad sense.

I believe that the primary identity filter becomes the relationship between the individual and the family. The culture you grow up in has a lot of influence. Well, Lithuania is a European country. So I don’t think you should be opposed to these things.

– In other words, are you saying that both the Lithuanian and European dimensions are on the same level and that it doesn’t matter at all what we would call first?

– I say that there is no need to divide citizens into better or worse as long as they adhere to the same general civic agreements. I would like us not to draw lines between us, but to find common ground.

What unites the fourth generation of Lithuanians who grew up in Argentina and Lithuanians in Lithuania? We still commemorate the same festivals, we follow the same traditions as best we can. All this responds through Lithuania and that feeling common to Lithuania. Create threads.

– And what is your position regarding the writing of Polish surnames in Lithuanian passports?

– As long as those letters are on our keyboard, there’s no reason we can’t type them (laughs). And more seriously, it is a Latin alphabet and I do not think it causes any inconvenience. The fears that we will not know how to pronounce this phonetically are, I think, unfounded. We can add a second page with a phonetic explanation instead of the other way around.

In my opinion, this problem is related to the identity of the individual and, although a person is, in a certain sense, part of the state, he is not property of the state. The state serves the nation, not the nation the state.

– But is the “language of the state – Lithuanian language” enshrined in the Constitution?

– Yes, we all agreed to follow him. But even Patriarch J. Basanavičius published a newspaper with the title “sz”.

– Do you not think that such a precedent would open the way for lawsuits, for example, about the use of Cyrillic?

– But Cyrillic is not Latin.

– Critics would say it is double standards.

– The different characters are not part of our alphabet; This would require a redesign of the traditional system. I think the biggest misunderstanding is precisely because of the restriction of the Latin alphabet. This creates unnecessary disputes, which we could easily resolve if we sufficiently integrated Lithuanian Poles to resolve these problems. It is unfortunate, but some political actors are manipulating this into single issue players.

– Another important aspect of memory politics was also intensified in the media last summer. Some Lithuanians questioned the reputations of K. Škirpa and General Vėtra, believing that these characters had contributed to the Holocaust in Lithuania, and another group was angry, claiming that the allegations were wrong and unnecessarily scorned the names of the heroes.

And what did you think of this situation from a distance and you thought the municipality did the right thing because of the problem of remembering K. Škirpa and Noreika?

– I would like to refrain from evaluating specific actions of the Vilnius municipality. I think we need to see common standards, not look for case specific arguments. The points at which past merits are valued and what actions would disqualify a person from public honor must be clearly identified.

From my point of view, the names of the streets, the commemorative plaques should be given to people who we could consider as examples and whose reputation would not be in doubt. The story is very complex, so it is natural that there are people who have behaved respectfully in some cases and perhaps immorally in others, but it is necessary to agree on a common standard to follow.

The inability to distinguish true heroes from ambiguous ones undermines the name of all the honored. And this allows hostile forces to oppress society.

– Many European countries retrospectively review not only the scale of the victims of the Holocaust, but also the contribution of Jews to the construction of their states. It is dedicated to museums, separate exhibitions, exhibitions, concerts, excursions and other events.

In your opinion, do we pay enough attention to the Jewish issue in Lithuania? Suppose we need a modern Jewish museum in Vilnius, and perhaps we should rebuild the Great Synagogue?

– Litvak’s connection to Lithuania is very strong, because the Lithuanian Jewish community was truly exceptional, and its contribution was significant both in Lithuania and in the world.

During the interwar period, several academics of Jewish origin and art representatives lived who contributed to the statehood of Lithuania. Jewish companies were also organized to fight for the independence of Lithuania. These are Lithuanian patriot-citizens: it is a great tragedy that a hard-to-understand part of those citizens has been destroyed.

Of course, Lithuania is famous not only for the number of Jews killed, but also for the righteous of the world, who were not afraid to risk their lives to save their fellow citizens. It would be an even greater tragedy if we lost our memory by losing our fellow citizens.

After all, people are said to die multiple times: the first when they die themselves, the second when those who knew them and carried their story die, and the third when we forget their works. I think there are many Jews whose contribution we don’t even know, but we are still drinking through their work. Both architectural monuments and musical compositions. These issues have also been neglected by our educational system. But perhaps it is not too late to relive this memory?

After all, people are said to die multiple times: first, when they die themselves, second, when those who knew them and carried their story die, and third, when we forget their works.

– And what about the Great Synagogue?

– The Great Synagogue in Vilnius is extremely important to the entire international Jewish world. If we unanimously decided to rebuild it, it would become a symbol of our recognition and desire to remember our Jewish history of the state. I think that would make sense.

– You are a chemist, you mentioned that you work in the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps you could tell us more about your work activities, dreams, goals, wishes? What research have you contributed to?

– My field is computer chemistry. I wrote my dissertation on the use of computer simulations to find possible drug binding sites in disease related protein structures.

I have developed a special simulation method for this, which has attracted a lot of interest. An article about this was published in the largest chemical journal, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, which became the first paper of which I was the lead author. F1000, an international faculty of thousands of the best scientists in the world, highlighted this article for its technological advancement.

My daily work is mainly related to the analysis of computer models, structural calculations, computer simulations. Based on them, we select possible drug designs, and we often have to cooperate with an international team of chemists on these issues. Here, I recently learned that one of my proposed designs has been experimentally validated, suggesting that it may eventually become part of the drug.

– What fascinates you most about chemistry? Why did you choose this kingdom?

– Since I was little, several phenomena woke me up, and chemistry can explain many of them down to the smallest detail. Surprisingly, a highly toxic substance can be turned into a life-saving medicine by replacing just one atom. Or vice versa.

And this “magic” is not necessarily only in pharmacy, but also, for example, in materials science or other technologies. The details of our smartphones are made up of a variety of “smart” molecules that we create and discover precisely through our understanding of the chemical world.

Surprisingly, a highly toxic substance can be turned into a life-saving medicine by replacing just one atom. Or vice versa.

– Could you fulfill your ambitions in Lithuania and bring these good practices?

Would be a dream. Unfortunately, at least for now, the field in which I work does not exist in Lithuania, there are no companies that do. As well as the academic class that would create it.

Of course, maybe the gap opens up the possibility of starting such a branch, at some point I really wanted to be able to do it up to thirty (laughs).

I would like to return not when I have already accomplished everything, but when I am still full of energy and ambition for the plans in Lithuania.

– What would you like for Lithuania and the Lithuanians?

– I would like to wish you the courage and the ability to live in freedom. Also openness and the ability to accept others. Although we have really accomplished a lot during these thirty years, it is very important to realize the responsibility that depends on each one of us how Lithuania will grow and develop further.