"There are too little people in Lithuania who realize the importance of information technologies development", Rimantas Pleikys, the Communications and Informatics Minister of Lithuania, says.

Rimantas Pleikys, the Communications and Informatics Minister of Lithuania, was the last to manage the Communications and Informatics Ministry (CIM) during 1996 – 1998. The ministry was closed in 1998. According to the majority of specialists in information technologies (IT), it was not the right decision to stop the activity of CIM. They claim this was a mistake. Besides, R.Pleikys is vice president of newly established Nuosaikiøjø konservatoriø Union. So for “Respublika” newspaper it was very interesting to get known what the ex-minister and one of the managers of new political organization thinks about present IT situation in Lithuania what his opinion about creation of informative society and what the problems concerning this idea are.

Could you evaluate present situation in the area of information trechnologies and telecommunications? What has worsened and what has got better after you stopped managing in this area?

Development of information technologies in Lithuania is not very active. If this process takes place then only due to the personal initiative. The government does not stand in the way of this activity of course, but it would be rather boldly to say it helps. Recently because of the scarcity of the budget these initiatives lost their promptness, too. I I don’t think I can connect improvements or worsening with my or somebody else’s activities that might affect sphere of Informational technologies. It would be wonderful if it were enough to change the executives and to reorganize the ministry only. The problem is more serious; there are too little people in Lithuania who realize the importance of information technologies development. They do not understand that if Lithuania wants to become modern dynamic society the success lies in information technologies development. Lithuanians are very active in competitions for medals, in respecting past of the nation, perhaps they won’t soon be able to explain what the difference between the processor and the compressor is.

How do you evaluate TSLK program “e-wind”? Will your union organize any program like this one?

When you see the words of “the wind” written on the paper (it is obvious that here the hired IT specialist have worked) these words look nice of course. But who can guarantee that everything will really be embodied. I don’t think that having seen these writings and signed memos we are to throw ourselves to sign them and to organize our own programs. As communications and informatics minister I have initiated the preparing of the information technologies development program. This document was prepared in the year 1998 in spring. But nobody gets down to brass the implementation of this project. Thus, “the wind” may also be unnoticed.

Your union’s logo is the Gediminas tower and 12 stars around it. What does this mean: G.Vagnorius and twelve members of the Seimas, his twelve confederates; or Vilnius, the center of Europe and Lithuania as the member of EU?

I am very glad our logo can be interpreted in such a variety of ways. I shall explain it now: the Gediminas tower is the processor and those little stars around it are the computers of the local centre. And I Would be very glad if such towers covered all the Lithuania.

Why the ministry you had been managing was closed. Didn’t you try to resist? The majority of the computer specialists would have supported you.

In 1996 you would have heard they it was needed to diminish the number of bureaucrats and ministers who were only wasting money, which might be given to the pension funds and health care. It is pity of course that then we didn’t manage to resist the pressure of the populists. As soon as the government was formed the press began to show its dissatisfaction claiming that there are still too many ministries left. Before the ministry was liquidated I had been trying to prove that this was not right decision. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to change the decision. To my mind Lithuania needs such or even more efficient information development institution. This could be a ministry or any other institution that has powerful authorities and finance budgets. The candidature for the post of manager is also very significant but not of the first importance.

What have you done and what haven’t you done while managing CIM? Are there any unfinished works you can’t forget any that you can proud of?

Talking about the works done all the works concerning communications and informatics prepared for the Government’s program of the years 1996 – 2000. It’s pity that while implementing the mentioned programs we have realized that that wouldn’t be enough. As I have already told we prepared more detailed program of informative society creation, and maybe somebody tried to implement it. Unfortunately I do not know how they are getting on.

What in your opinion are the most important tasks while creating informative society in Lithuania?

I am convinced that the parliamentary parties of the future Seimas, the President and the Government should confirm the strategy of information technologies development during the next 10 years. Every selections and popularization of new parties and leaders should not revise it every time. It is not right to “make policy” out of the IT. IT itself has to be “the policy” of future Lithuania.