Kazoka: If Zakis is to step down, many other officials should do the same

  • 2012-06-15

RIGA - If Unity Saeima Group Chairman Dzintars Zakis, according to some moral standards, is to resign due to the recent car purchase scandal, Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs (Harmony Center), Harmony Center Saeima Group Chairman Janis Urbanovics and Culture Minister Zanete Jaunzeme-Grende should also step down due to various reproaches, political scientist Iveta Kazoka told LETA.

Tvnet analyst Otto Ozols previously pointed out that Kazoka and other experts are too gentle in their attitude to Zakis, therefore Latvia cannot reach such moral standards as Western Europe.

"I am trying to be equally harsh or gentle to all parties and I do not see a reason to set considerably higher responsibility. If Zakis is to step down, 100-200 other officials should do the same," said the political expert, pointing out that, according to her personal moral standards, she could make a list with a couple of hundred officials who should not even be in politics.

According to Kazoka, this case should be left up to Unity, which, perhaps, has missed the opportunity to act in compliance with the highest moral standards. She would be delighted if a political party set higher moral standards in on Latvia's political arena than the current ones. However, the Reform Party, VL-TB/LNNK and Unity, who are trying to observe extremely high standards, should not be set different criteria than those parties who tend to act unethically, explained Kazoka.