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Myechyslaw Hryb: When outrage of the Belarusians boils over, it will be impossible to restrain

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Myechyslaw Hryb: When outrage of the Belarusians boils over, it will be impossible to restrain

Ukrainian Maidan is a real scenario in modern Belarus.

The old model of the State is getting less effective, there is a need to create a new one. In Belarus the power structure underwent major changes two decades ago. Myechyslaw Hryb, one of the leaders of that time, told BGD about things which current reformists might learn from the events of twenty years ago.

The first General of the Militia in Belarusian history was running the Supreme Council since early 1994 to early 1996. First six months in 1994 he was the Head of the State, succeeding Stanislau Shushkevich, until the election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as the President. Myechyslaw Hryb was the person who adopted the Constitution of 1994, the first Constitution of independent Belarus.

- Do you think that Lukashenka's coming to power was predetermined, or was it some kind of an accident of history?

- Even then Lukashenka as a person would not been elected as the President. Those elections were of purely protest nature. People supported Lukashenka as he spoke out against government at the time. And people were also determined against the current Government. Lukashenka had this wave of protests and received such support.

The elections themselves were normal, there was no fraud then. But Lukashenka appeared at an appropriate time and people voted for him. If presidential elections were held in the Supreme Council, Vyacheslau Kebich would undoubtedly become the President. During his work in the Supreme Council Lukashenka, as a Deputy, did not find support among others. Under the Constitution, only a person collected 100 000 signatures of citizens or 70 signatures of deputies could join elections for the Presidency. Lukashenko tried to collect 70 signatures but succeeded only in 20 or so and abandoned this idea. Kebich did not have any problems with it.

- Who could be a successor of Lukashenka? Is there any person here in Belarus? What do you think?

–There are a lot of smart, talented, highly-qualified people in Belarus. In this situation it would be unadvisedly to name specific people, even among scientists and economists, as after that they might get into troubles. These are people not of vertical power but they just hold various public positions.

Although I think there are some well-prepared and intelligent people in the vertical of power. But they are hidden behind the curtains, blocked by a huge figure, so that they are invisible and are not given space.

Remember the protests against Natallia Masherava, when she decided to join the run for the Presidency. She was not the sharpest pencil in the box, to speak plainly, as a deputy too. Her particular ground was the name of her father, Petr Masherau. And authorities were much worried about that. She was told: "Go away!", she said in the sent: "No, I'll join the run for the Presidency!". And the very next day her son-in-law and her daughter were fired. And she was afraid of her future life. There are other examples. The same Mikhail Marynych, now-deceased, was imprisoned as soon as tried to run the Presidency. For what? He stole old computers from Americans!

May the events similar to these in Ukraine occur in Belarus?

- Everyone says it is impossible. I personally believe that everything may happen in this life. There comes a point past which the discontentment among people can boil over. When it spills out, it will be impossible to restrain. And then events will follow the Ukrainian scenario. Nobody and nothing will be able to manage them. So I can't say that this won't happen here. Leave it to the person who believes in it.

I witnessed everything: squares, people walking in the streets in Minsk... So did you. I'm sorry, but when 100 000 people take the streets, you won't do nothing even with your sticks. So don't stay on their way as anything and everything in their path will be swept away and do not say that our people are specific. We are just like everyone else, and everything may happen if we lose our patience.

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