The first debates in the history of Latvian parliamentarism on state language policy took place.
Understanding of Importance Has Grown
The starting point for the debates was a report from the Ministry of Education on what has been done and the plans for further strengthening the position of the Latvian language. The head of the ministry, Dace Melbarde ("New Unity"), opened the debates, along with the Speaker of the Saeima and the ministers of culture and foreign affairs.
Minister Melbarde emphasized that the current academic year "marks the final stage of the transition to education solely in the Latvian language. In her opinion, as a result of the transition to education in Latvian, the understanding of the importance of the state language in society has significantly increased. At the same time, the work is not over."
However, not everyone is satisfied with the course of the reform. For instance, National Alliance deputy Arturs Butans lamented that Russian children in school — for example, during breaks — speak to each other in their native language. The parliamentarian claimed that children of some acquaintance in Germany are prohibited from speaking Latvian during breaks, and we should also ensure a similar language environment in educational institutions.
Butans' party leader, Ilze Indrikson, continued the theme of uprooting the Russian language from public spaces and reminded about the Declaration against Russification, which the National Alliance submitted at the end of spring — just a few days before the municipal elections.
"The Declaration Has Already Gathered Dust"
"We submitted the Declaration on Russification, which was criminally carried out by the Soviet occupation regime, and on eliminating its (Russification) linguistic consequences. It has been handed over to the Education, Culture and Science Committee, but our document is gathering dust in the drawers of this committee — without any movement... This declaration stipulates the state's obligation to eliminate the consequences of Russification. But there is fear among the majority in the Saeima about how this will be — too national, too fast, too inconvenient," stated the leader of the National Alliance, concluding with a report of... a new threat to the state language.
"And there is also a new very specific threat — the sharply increased number of immigrants and guest workers. In recent years, thousands of workers from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other countries have been entering Latvia. We cannot allow the state language to disappear from the labor market and everyday environment.
In the service sector — cafes, restaurants, food supplies — I think you have all encountered the situation where an order in the state language is impossible to understand. The client speaks Latvian, the worker does not understand a word, and communication happens in English or gestures. This is no longer the public environment of Latvia; it is an anonymous, language-less space.
The National Alliance believes that everyone who works in any customer service sector should have a certain level of proficiency in the state language, and the State Language Center should have both the right and the ability to control it," proclaimed I. Indrikson from the podium.
Ban Communication in Russian!
It is noteworthy that just yesterday, the National Alliance submitted a draft resolution to the Saeima with a mandate for the Prime Minister to take measures to prohibit the use of the Russian language by employees of state and municipal institutions. Moreover, representatives of the National Alliance are convinced that the Russian language should be banned both in communication with clients — residents of Latvia, and in communication among employees themselves.
Right-wing deputies complained in their speeches from the podium that the native Russian language, which is familiar to 37 percent of the population, has not yet been excluded from all areas of life. For example, films in cinemas are still provided with subtitles in Russian, and posters and announcements in Russian appear from time to time...
Parliamentarians are convinced: a linguistic situation must be created in Latvia where "it is simply impossible to do without the Latvian language."
"We, Latvians, willingly switch to Russian or another foreign language in almost all areas, including government structures," noted deputy Nauris Puntulis.
It should be noted that debates on the state language will take place once every two years. The next debates will thus occur in the new Saeima — in the autumn of 2027...
