Facade democracy of Latvia
Normunds Kozlovs, M.Soc. [2001]

After the Soviet regime falling the newly made labour market based relationships institutionalising in Latvia similarly like in other transit societies was mimetic type i.e. adapting in jurisdiction often different and even contrary West European or American models of institutions. Besides while the new-born state and its regime was in a big need of legitimisation the discourse battle of different ideologies and values played crucial role. The more stable regime became the less important was discourse type legitimisation of authorities decisions. Masses became de-politicised but surely not on the price of increasing welfare as it works in the core industrial countries.

In the time of so called "singing revolution" Latvia's independence and parliamentary democracy regime have got high legitimisation from Latvians and non-Latvians. As the result of nationalism trends in foreign and inner policies, one third of population - non-Latvians were considered "colonists" and did not get citizenship.

In the period of gaining legitimisation there were established strict differentiation of political ideologies west orientated liberal capitalism and free market as the messiah that will bring welfare for everybody and shops full of mass consumption products, and from the other side there were pro-soviet orientated forces. Consequently everything that did not fit in the vision of uprising liberal capitalist welfare was considered and claimed red and pro-soviet. As outcome such values as solidarity and co-operation that were discredited already by soviet functionaries disappear and so did egalitarian collectives and communities. That is social cocooning process. Master and servant hierarchical relationships was considered as the most efficient and proper as the history proof it.

At the same time those working and life forms that did not fit in the market relationships died. With the de-politicking of masses elections became the market of buying votes by advanced manipulative technologies of advertising within the mass media. Those technologies developed in the western societies together with the resistance forms and behaviour patterns that lead people becoming immune to the manipulation while they were completely new here in Latvia.

Modernisation of economy and society followed the same guidelines like it was in Latin America countries after WW2 when they tried to follow the industrial core countries' model. Only a small number of population were able to adopt the behavioural standard of free initiative entrepreneurs- they became socially mobile and reached the spots in social hierarchy to share the national resources without control. That was time of cheap credits and pyramid type financial corporations growth.

Latvia situation now seems to be in a way very similar to the western Europe (Germany and France) after WW2 and before May '68. The state structures then and there as well as now and here are dominated by the same generation collaborative to the totalitarian regimes in the past and cynically converted their value systems in the present according to the free market and material wealth pragmatic ideals.

Latvia made progress in stabilising its economy and pursuing market-oriented reforms. Its currency was strong enough to appreciate steadily in a free foreign currency market. There were left a lot of industrial factories without work in the territory of Latvia. The administrative apparatus in the interest of capital slowed the re-industrialisation and did not help to invest in the sphere of industrial production. At the mean time it was easy to invest in oil transit and raw timber materials export. It was gained by so called liberal and pro-European political forces which were helping to accumulate primary national capital that would be possible to invest in industry in the further future. Still this is not accomplished- the privatisation and economy de-centralisation policies failed as the latest World Bank reports indicate.

With the slowing of re-industrialisation the growing labour market relationships and unemployment of wage-laboured population increase the social tensions. To overcome those tensions there were three ways development in state policy making: growing of administrative apparatus, de-ideologisation, domestic nationalism and indoctrination of threats by inside/outside enemies- namely bordering Russia and Russian speaking population.

Administrative system growing makes space for the products of passive proletarisation while the industry is shut down. The Latvian conscription type of army left with unchanged structure and officers serves the same function- temporally exclusion out of the labour market. It is significant that in Latvia there is no contra-culture form of neo-nazis namely- skinheads while it is very common in other Europe, especially in those transit societies with destroyed industry and suburban ghetto life- unemployment, crime, etc. Surely here is presented the same street violence of teenage gangs, especially those of growing number drug-addicts, while the continuous distrust in positive values and social ideals plus the lose of social and geographical mobility results youth contra-culture groups political de-ideologisation.

The non-governmental organisations (NGO's) that is the most organised basic structure for civil society unless skips the isolation they are isolated from population as they share different living standard (imposed by western funds), lifestyle and values. Besides ngo's as a part of fasade democracy have governmental support. Basically most ngo's in Latvia are so called "grey ngo's" i.e. they speaks out governmental point of view where it is not allowed to speak government itself. NGO's in Latvia mainly represent only formally local civic society. Masses are deprived from social problems and their possible solutions (i.e. ideologies) because there is annihilated mechanisms of solving social problems- solidarity, uniting for collective action and self-governing.

Within the process of coca-colonisation (i.e. imposing multinational corporate capital domain over the territory of Latvia) institutionalisation of relationships of capitalist production and living conditions managing become very manipulative. Dominate power reached by those structures that are based in the sphere of technological manipulation colonising political discourse, communication and civic politics. As the result people are not able to decide upon their living conditions as well as organisation of their communities.

The material circumstances of reproduction i.e. governing class control upon the wage labour makes it necessary to regulate politically who is and who is not wage labourer otherwise system won't work. The control is possible by stationing (depriving from mobility) those segments of population that have got extra door to the life and self maintenance beyond the labour market and which are temporally or permanently exempt from selling their labour on the wage market. Other life forms- family, school, health insurance system, etc. are sanctioned by the state policy only if they facilitate labour transition into wage labour. It is important considering the social division between relatively wealthy cities (Riga and Ventspils concentrate 2/3 of overall economic activity) and the rest of underdeveloped rural areas. Eastern region Latgale is nominated as the worst in the respect to future EU enlargement.

Farmers and agricultural type of independent nation ideology (slightly similar to Qadafi's Libyan model) has special role in Latvia's situation as an opposition to soviet industrial colonisation from 40-ties to 80-ties. There was executed Russification policy via planned immigration of industrial workers. Latvia regained its independence in 1991 after 50 years of Soviet rule. A parliamentary democracy, Latvia in June held its first free and fair elections in over 60 years, reinstated its 1922 Constitution. The Parliament Saeima in July elected Guntis Ulmanis of the Farmers' Union as President head of state. He was totally unknown person and became a president just because of the same surname as authoritarian leader in Latvia's pre-soviet independence had. In the early period of Latvia's independence it was highly recommended ideal of self maintenance farmer. The same time ruling class was not very interested in getting taxes or other state incomes because they were busy on building their own capital from western donations and state property. Therefore proud self sustained farmer's ideology helped to destroy collective farming system allowing to get those communal properties to the very limited range of population- mainly high rank functionaries who firstly get into the legal procedures of privatisation. They have got monopoly on information and slightly afterwards to the other resources. Self sustained farmer's ideal helped imposing local patriotism for successful militarism.

The same scheme worked out for de-nationalisation of -Latvia became the only one transit state where de-nationalisation on the basis of kinship was not restricted at all. Such legislative order was lobbied by high rank functionaries with western origins from immigrants' families) of new administration. As the result main privatised property was gone to the westerners and new-born elite who had know-how of operating within legal system as well as resources to hire professional lawyers.

Starting with year 1995 politicians speak about shortening the population employed in agriculture motivating it with European model- that is the right and proper way of organising economy. State is not anymore efficiently governing agricultural sector of national economy. The largest cities of booming economy is in a harsh contrast to the rest of the farmland with destroyed infrastructure of communications, roads and so on. The municipalities of annually cut off budgets are led by women except those earning ones of harbours and transit money- those are headed by big strong bosses- men. The Russian speaking population is dominated in these urban environments while Latvian speaking inhabitants rests at the farmlands within almost feudal natural type of maintenance. Nowadays there are growing rate of illiterate children generations (never experienced under Soviet rule). Parents can not afford sending kids to school, local schools are shut down. And the only strikes experienced since independence were those of school teachers. The choice between existence of wage labourer and other living maintenance forms that lies out of the labour market is not anymore let in the hands of labour owner. While it became more easy administratively regulate people's lives after the de-collectivisation. Technological invasion is serving this function: even the social sector is administrated with the perspective of prison. It is IT based overlook and control of ghettos instead of structural re-arrangement of those under-social environments.

Post-socialism countries like Latvia have very appropriate labour resources for the development of industry. People still are well educated, deprived from production forces and their administration besides there is lack of labour self organising forms. There are no real trade unions as the political representation of the labour. It causes facade type of democracy - the social reforms and changes of legislation are made by outside pressure of European standards as joining the Europe Union became the state's primal foreign policy's task aside of longing for virtual NATO nuclear umbrella. Without inner social pressure this legislation did not end up in efficient implementation.

Latvia saw almost no strikes even in the harshest years 1992/3. Although many state-owned factories were on the verge of bankruptcy and seriously behind in wage payments, workers fear dismissal if they strike, and non-citizens fear that their participation in strikes may affect their residency status. Now after the total local industries collapse the they formed a large sector of grey economy of small and medium sized enterprises while Latvians are expanding growing state and municipal administrative apparatus. But still both sub-societies lucks the experience and legally established formal procedures to influence the decision making process. That causes a widespread corruption. The state power centres are outside of country borders: economic power that national economy is dependant upon is Moscow's controlled oil and gas transit pipes but the legislation is dependant of Brussels' imposed EU normatives aside of international financial monsters IMF and WB proposed cures for social sector. If the whole population of Latvia would die in one night it almost wont affect the country; the state machinery is not dependant of its inhabitants of neither citizen nor non-citizen side. That is the loss of civil participation.



anfang