Kaunas residents told the whole truth about Nausėda: see how Tapinas took offense, how conservatives attack

Two Senior Advisors – from Kaunas

Economist Gitanas Nausėda, who took over the country’s presidency two years ago, spoke a lot about the vision of the welfare state and two well-known Kaunas residents joined his team as senior advisers.

The former mayor and deputy mayor of the city Visvaldas Matijošaitis, called “right-handed” Povilas Mačiulis, became the head of the national political group, and Simonas Krėpšta, who has worked in various positions at the Bank of Lithuania and.

The president himself is indirectly related to Kaunas not only because of his two advisers. He visited his friend, Vidmantas Staniulis, the founder of antique books, who went into eternity earlier this year. The famous G. Nausėda house was designed by the famous Kaunas architect Gintautas Natkevičius and his team.

But what do ordinary Kaunas residents think about G. Nausėda’s job as head of state for a couple of years? That is what we asked the people we met on the streets of the city. Respondents of different ages were interviewed to reflect as many different opinions as possible.

The attitude of the head of state is impressive

“I think G. Nausėda is a real example of a head of state. With his intelligence, attitude and internal culture, he certainly does not put Lithuania to shame among the presidents of other countries.

It is difficult to say whether I. Šimonytė would be a better president than G. Nausėda. She may be more sincere, more compassionate, so “motherly”, but she would be heavily influenced by the conservatives who supported the election. After all, G. Nausėda was acting as an independent candidate, which is probably difficult for him, it is not possible to reach an agreement with the conservatives, who wanted to see I. Šimonytė in his place, ”said a middle-aged civilian . server.

According to Kaunas, had it not been a confrontation with the government, G. Nausėda would have been better off. On the other hand, according to the interviewee, the priority area of ​​the president’s activity continues to be domestic, but foreign policy, so it is probably not worth waiting for initiatives and significant changes in daily life initiated by the presidential institution.

“Thank God, we live in Lithuania, not in Turkmenistan, Belarus or Russia, where everything is controlled by the presidents. We see how” fun “it is for ordinary people to live in those countries,” the interlocutor quipped.

The president is imagined as a defender of the “traditional family.”

“I value the president very much because he defends the traditional values ​​of our nation. It showed that it is important to have a family, as it has been in Lithuania for centuries, or not two men, two women, as one wants to have now. Because these are the values ​​of our ancestors, which we have to fight for right now, “said the young Kaunas resident, admitting that he supports the ideas of the” family defense “march.

In his assessment, G. Nausėda proved to be a true defender of the country’s Constitution, as he emphasized that the basic law of the country clearly defines the concept of family.

“A lot of people don’t like that the president is in favor of traditional values. See how A. Tapinas was offended, how conservatives attack G. Nausėdas. Everything is here because man has a backbone and does not want to give in to the ideology that drives Europe.

Because what is being done now is already like a family genocide. If a child wants to be able to attend school, they should be allowed to be tested and perhaps vaccinated. Vaccine propaganda is already getting disgusting, but no one talks about the consequences. In schools, gender ideas are etched in their heads. Where has it been seen so that a child can choose their own gender? ”The Kaunas resident got angry.

Recalling that G. Nausėda himself urged people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the interlocutor said that he had not heard him.

G. Nausėda is accused of hypocrisy and populism

It was G. Nausėda’s attention to the “family defenders” event in the capital, the flirtation of his advisor P. Mačiulis with the “protesters” and one of their leaders, Antanas Kandrotas, who was convicted and still on trial for crimes financial, he called himself a cellophone.

A girl studying for a doctorate at the University of Kaunas said that she really did not expect such an action from G. Nausėda.

“He made it very clear which part of society he chooses, where he seeks support. When a crowd of antivaks and homophobes get together and spread their ideas based on conspiracy theories and obscurity, the reverence of the president speaks volumes to these people, ”said the Kaunas resident.

He said he had no doubt that the head of state’s flirtation with the “protesters” would only deepen his long-running conflict with the conservatives, and instead of seeking ways to unite the psychologically tortured nation in quarantine, the divide would deepen.

“Now all those who criticize the president will become enemies of ‘traditional families’ will be called gays and lesbians.” Although G. Nausėda herself promised to light up the LGBT badge during the election campaign, she spoke about respect for all people. It is a pity that promises are forgotten so quickly, a more comfortable and populist position is chosen, ”said a Kaunas student studying for a doctorate.

Believe in the vision of the welfare state.

“I think G. Nausėda is a good president, because he serves non-parties, he tries to help people. Of course, maybe not everything will turn out well, the whole pandemic has shaken the plans of many people,” said a retiree of Kaunas.

The interlocutor compared G. Nausėdas with the outgoing head of state V. Adamkus, who, according to him, was a real authority for the younger generation.

“There are many problems, it is difficult to reach the doctors, the pensions could be higher, because the prices are going up more and more. It is difficult to say how much is all here in the will of the president. I liked the way he talked about the welfare state. You know, I’m sure it will come true.

Maybe I won’t get it, maybe my kids will get it. That when old age comes, you don’t have to live with a poor pension, but rather enjoy the rest of your life. Do you know how retirees fare in rich countries? Buy a caravan on wheels and travel. People enjoy life, they visit places where there was no time to go to work. We will also be like that one day ”, the senior was not lacking in optimism.

Clearer visions are missing

“It is difficult to evaluate the activities of the president when we see them very little. Only ordinary conflicts with the government, the search for sympathizers among the “defenders of the family”, or one or another of their speeches come to light. But out of all this, welfare states certainly won’t create. It cannot be done by the government or the presidency, but by a strong economy, business development and high value-added investments, strong taxpayers, the middle class. However, I miss G. Nausėda’s vision at this level, “said the middle-aged engineer who founded his business.

He said that both in Kaunas and elsewhere, there are companies operating internationally, operating in foreign markets, some of them with foreign capital, that can adequately represent our country.

“Bakers, small businesses, or beet growers will never pay as much in taxes as they would in the high-tech sector. Here’s the whole perspective. If heads of state would pay more attention not to farmers who are not always satisfied with something, but to the representation of the state abroad, publicity of our potential, solutions and technologies developed would be incomparably greater benefits for the entire state.

And not inviting any investor who can only set up service centers here, hire students halfway through, and then liquidate everything and move it to India. Global companies would definitely come here if all the leaders of the country worked with determination in this area. And now they are more interested in the political intrigue and controversy over the association law, ”said the Kaunas resident.