During a routine meeting with my director Klaidas Navickas, I mentioned my interest in visiting the Lithuanian Seimas or Senate. To my surprise, the very next day he contacted an old colleague who hospitably agreed to give me a tour of the building and also further explain the structure of this political body. That same day I made my way over to the Seimas (conveniently located on the same street as the Ministry of Justice) and after a security check and showing proper identification, I was given a badge and let into the building. Once inside I was greeted by Irma Leonaviciute, a woman who formerly worked at the Ministry of Justice in the Department of Registry under my director. For the last year Irma has been working for the Seimo Teises ir Teisėtvarkos Komitetas – a committee involved in analyzing and drawing conclusions of bills and amendments before they are formally discussed during a Seimas session. She would be the one to lead me around the building and describe the order and schedule of what goes on in this political unit.
We started the “tour” in her office where Irma gave me a variety of information about Seimas, including a monthly magazine for Seimas members and a DVD usually only given to international representatives from different countries. She showed me the offices that she works with all along making connections and examples of similar American political positions or groups. She led me through long corridors with all of the offices of Seimas members, and showed me committee meeting rooms where the members meet to discuss their committee’s platforms and ideas. Along the hallway walls hung headshots of former members of the Seimas. Periodically we would stop and talk about a familiar face or name. From the faces of political leaders she created a web of connections of people and their political involvement. She cited the transfer of political ideologies from different political party groups, and highlighted the political paths people took to gain their positions. Having led me through the Seimas hallways we then made our way to different buildings and areas. We took a moment to stop at the old Seimas meeting room – a room which I remember seeing on television during the time of Lithuanian Independence in 1990. Irma mentioned that the current Lithuanian President: Dalia Grybauskaite, was also inaugurated in this hall a just few weeks ago.
We continued our tour and stopped again when passing an interesting above ground bridge that connects two of three Seimas buildings. Irma said that the project to connect the two buildings became very controversial when construction went over budget. Personally she said that the bridge is very convenient to have especially during the winter months. Having crossed the bridge, we ended up in the newer part of the Seimas complex. The offices where we had just come from were considerably more grey and drab than the brighter friendlier area we entered. Irma took me to an open area overlooking a front courtyard with tall stately iron gates. Looking out the window onto the courtyard Irma described that when “important international people” come, they open the large iron gates and role out the red carpet for the diplomatic welcome. The foreign dignitaries are then led into the bright open room that we were standing in, and some type of formal greeting is given. This welcome room was nicknamed the baseinas or swimming pool for its open floor plan with a lower central portion prime for a meeting or concert. It really did vaguely resemble a shallow swimming pool! The back wall was covered in bright yellow and orange stained glass, and the walls of the “swimming pool” were covered in the latest art exhibit. Irma mentioned that this area always has artwork on display, unfortunately she rarely has time to see them all!
We continued our tour through hallways and staircases, and ultimately ended up in the actual Seimas meeting area. Similar to what one would expect, the doors to the Seimas auditorium were closed and flat screen televisions resembled windows on the wall letting onlookers peak into what was going on inside. We opened the door and entered the second floor of the auditorium. A glass banister and half-wall was all the separated us from the actual meeting taking place on the first floor below. A wooden nutty monotone interior highlighted the large horizontally hanging Lithuanian flag at the crown of the assembly hall. There were distinct speaking voices with a constant hum of others talking and reacting
Where we were standing on the second floor our eyes were met with a few rows of theatre style seats, and a group of mothers with their children intensely listening to the discussions down below. We made our way around the curve of the second floor past five or six cameras and a group of casually dressed journalists to find a private section of seats to sit down in. We began to listen to the proceedings, and Irma began commenting on the members that were speaking and the party platforms they were representing. I found it to be a great treat to watch such proceedings with someone who knows the “inside scoop” and rumors associated with the members. She also explained to me that the amendment they were discussing was a very important controversial topic. She said that usually Seimas meetings are fairly dry and rhythmic, however today’s topic had an audience, and the attention of the media. What was this controversial topic that journalists and even mothers with their children gathered for?
In Lithuania, as in other European countries, mothers are given up to 2 years of maternity leave with 100% of their salary compensated their first year and 85% of their salary compensated their second year at home with their child. The government provides this compensation from social security funds and uses these funds not only to help families maintain their standard of living and provide for their family, but also to stimulate population growth. Now during the economic crisis that has hit the world, Lithuanians have been hit arguably harder than others. The bold economic growth Lithuania experienced in previous years provided more to loose during this current recession. Therefore, when government funds quickly began to dwindle with not enough money to handle all of the public funding it had promised, concessions needed to be made- thus the amendment to Motinystes Išmoka - Maternity Pay. While the amendment to the maternity pay would only lesson the percentage of money given to new mothers, the amendment would undermine what was promised, which is why when we entered the auditorium we saw mothers and children in silently protesting against the amendment.
I stayed with Irma well after work hours watching the debate take place. The Seimas members voted and re-voted different variations of the amendment, and on a large projected panel one could see the way every individual voted (or chose not to vote). Conservatives and Liberals debated the notions of value and family versus reality and debt. At the end of the debate, it was finally decided that the Maternity pay would be decreased by 10% stipulating that the floor of funding a person could receive would be no less than minimum wage.
I left the Seimas that evening full of new insights and thoughts. I really appreciated the time and effort Irma Leonaviciute took to so patiently explain inside information I would have otherwise never received. This trip to the Seimas also encouraged me to think about social issues in the United States. In Lithuania a 10% decrease in maternity pay was so widely debated, when Maternity Pay and other social guarantees for all American women does not even exist.
