They Must Be Sent to the Junkyard of History 0 10

This week, the mayor of Ogre, Egils Helmanis (National Alliance), returned to work after a prolonged illness and held a municipal council meeting—without, as required by law, having access to state secrets. By the time he returned to work, not even the documents had been submitted to the Security Police to begin considering the request for access.

Meanwhile, Helmanis unleashed an angry comment on social media. The mayor of Ogre particularly targeted the ruling party: "Wherever the political team of 'New Unity' participates, we remain in last place.

I have said before that 'Unity' is a party of officials; in real work, they are in last place...

'Unity' holds too much power. And they use this power not to strengthen democracy but to undermine it.

They are inventing ways to use bureaucracy to remove a democratically elected mayor. For eight years, I led the Ogre municipality, and suddenly, after eight years, the 'New Unity' minister, Chudars, announces possible legal violations, claiming that I did not apply for a non-existent state secret.

In the Ogre Regional Council, not a single document with the status of a state secret has arrived in all these eight months since the law was passed. My colleagues in other municipalities have also not received such documents.

Under the guise of war, we are destroying democracy in our country because various Chudars of 'New Unity'—let’s call them 'Raymond the Miracle Worker'—are using this bureaucratic norm to fight against those who criticize them, indistinguishable from 'United Russia.'

I returned to work today after a long illness. On the first day of my return, 'Raymond the Miracle Worker' demanded explanations from me, and the propagandists of 'Unity' were present—public media, to whom I explained that I would not talk to them because, in their political struggle before the elections, they used my minor children against me, filming them with a hidden camera. Public media will not tell you about this.

While I was ill, public media continuously tried to pressure me, calling and asking about access, asking the same questions every month.

I will live as a free person in a free country and will continue to criticize 'New Unity' if it tries to use its power in a vile manner. If the oligarchs have deprived us, as a people, of certain financial resources, then you, representatives of 'New Unity,' are trying to steal our spirit, our right to speak freely. You may remove my status as mayor, but you will not turn me into a servant of your foolishness.