The youngest MP of the Center Party, 30-year-old Ester Karuse, has quickly adapted to parliamentary work and stands for the interests of the people of South-East Estonia as a mother lion.
As a newcomer to the Riigikogu, you have a seven-month working period behind you. Please summarize it briefly.
I hoped to start the Riigikogu with good emotion and enthusiasm, but unfortunately the feelings were quite the opposite. From the very beginning, it became clear that the new coalition does not promise to bring much good to the people of Estonia, rather it creates fear for the future. Squirrels, Eesti 200 and social workers are doing everything through cuts and tax increases to reduce the livelihood of the low-wage and middle class. Night sessions set the tone for the spring session – we tried to stop the coalition’s roll, but we couldn’t resist parliamentary mathematics. In addition, the Center Party organized pickets in front of Stenbock’s house and a demonstration in Tammsaare Park to oppose tax increases, which the Reform Party did not say a word about before the elections.
Valgamaa is one of the counties where free public transport funerals take place on January 1. How big is this blow to the residents of South-East Estonia?
Free public transport is vitally important for many people in our region, because if there are no jobs in the neighborhood, you have to travel further to work every day. I have already received despondent messages about the future from many of my constituents, whose vote came to the representative of the Center Party mainly because of the provision of free public transport. According to the current information, the bus ticket will cost 1.5 euros, which means that commuting to work can cost around 700 euros per year. If we also add the car tax that will come into effect in 2025, it will be another blow to people’s wallets.
You belong to the culture committee and the special committee for the supervision of security institutions. What topics are relevant there?
In the Culture Committee, passions were fueled by the government’s arrogant attitude towards small rural schools – a similar closure of the Metsküla school threatens several other small schools as well, and of course attention must be paid to it. The Reform Party is systematically dealing with the extinction of rural life. From the point of view of the state budget, the burning issue is of course the 1.7 percent salary increase for teachers, which has a mocking effect on pedagogues.
Taking inflation into account, teachers are left with less money. In the special commission for the supervision of security agencies, many topics are covered by state secrets, so it is not possible to talk about the work of this commission in great detail.
You became a mother at the end of last year, the family has a son Samuel. How have you combined work as an ambassador and family life – the sessions often go on late into the evening?
At this point, I am very grateful to my partner, who has reduced his workload in view of my career. We have gotten used to the new life arrangement and have learned that it is not worth making long plans for weekdays.
You actively speak out in the press on current issues – this shows that you care about what is happening in society. The opinion story about the taxation of banks was so popular that the Eesti Päevaleh Faktikontrol was even conducted, which they successfully passed.
Indeed, it was a surprise to many that the profits of banks operating in Estonia in the first half of 2023 were almost as big as in 2022 altogether. Tax increases and cuts could be avoided if a temporary banking tax were introduced in Estonia. The Center Party came up with the idea at the beginning of the year.
When anomalous situations arise in the economy, it is the state’s duty to intervene – for example, various guiding measures were used in the case of high energy carrier prices. Banks’ exceptionally high profits are not due to the fact that they have suddenly managed to make extremely profitable investments. The lion’s share of the millions comes from the pockets of the people of Estonia due to the increase in Euribor, which in turn reduces the livelihood of families. Therefore, it would be fair to return part of the profit to society.
At the recent annual meeting of the Valgamaa region, Alar Nääme was elected to continue as chairman. How do you describe him?
Alar has a strong fighting spirit as a sportsman and this is also reflected in his political activities. He is passionate about his work, but is ready to listen to different parties and thus make a balanced decision. It is nice that even though work has taken Alar to the capital, Valga is still in his heart and he is ready to travel hundreds of kilometers to contribute to the development of his hometown.
KN
