Ester Tuiksoo, an experienced politician and chairwoman of the Center Party’s Põlva region, talks about why the ideology of the Center Party is so important and what the role of women is in politics.
The Center Party was not your first political party, but this November it will be 13 years since you joined the Center Party. As a politician, how would you characterize those years in your life?
These have been great years – everything has been there, a lot of good and a lot of learning. I am probably liberal in my views, the positions and world view of the Center Party have suited me: such a degree of liberality and sociality. So it has been a very nice time and people, I also have friends from other political parties and I usually don’t talk about politics with my friends.
What is the Center Party ideologically for you? Why is he closest to you?
I have always liked the fact that the Center Party has invested in middle class people. That the people of Estonia would do well and that they could live normally, educate their children, live where they like and work in the job they want. Since we are an aging society, the Center Party has always paid great attention to seniors and pensioners. Free education, free medical care are all what the Center Party has stood for. We stand for the common – in a good way common – average person. It cannot be denied that the Center Party has been a thinking party for non-speaking people as well. Our idea is that everyone would enjoy living in Estonia. That’s why I’m in this party.
You have been associated with Põlva all your life and now you are also at the head of the Põlva region. What are the main concerns of the region?
Today, a situation has developed where the services of state institutions are still moving to larger cities, there are fewer businesses, ports and energy sources are further away, etc. Lack of jobs is also a problem. At the same time, well-educated people are moving to other places, and a situation is emerging where, if necessary, good specialists have to be called from further afield. People have liked the free transport. If, for example, there are more jobs in Tartu, people can go to work in Tartu for free, and this opportunity has been very welcome. Free transport was the election promise and act of the Center Party, it has had a very good effect on our region. The state high school in Põlva was the right thing to do (the decision of the Central Party!), it has become a very nice school and I hope that it will provide an opportunity to achieve better academic results.
Are there people leaving the Central Party’s Põlva region?
No it is not! We are in a completely normal situation. People are, of course, in a wait-and-see attitude. The board and leader of the party are looked at, the local party leadership is also looked at, what decisions are made. Our board is ready to cooperate, and I think that this is how we can continue to work.
You were the president of KENA, the women’s organization of the Central Party, and you are still a member of the board. What is the role of women in the Central Party?
KENA has been an important organization for quite a long time. Yes, politics tends to be masculine, but at the same time both sides are needed. Women are more empathetic and can solve problems differently than men. I see the role of KENA in elections, for example: women could have run for office more, helped the party more, the party could have given them more opportunities.
KN
