Yuri Khodyko Joins People’s March “For Better Life!” Organizing Committee :: Charter'97 :: News

Deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front “Adradjenne” professor Yuri Khodyko joined the organizing committee for holding on March 12 the People’s March “For Better Life!”. Therefore, the People’s March is now also upheld by the BPF “Adradjenne”.

Юрий_Ходыко

- Yuri Viktorovich, how do you evaluate the social-economic situation in the country?

- It’s deteriorating and every day this becomes clearer to all. However, the rise in all public utilities’ tariffs could have been expected, for that’s something quite natural. What is not so natural at all, is the lack of simultaneous reformation of economic relations. People are driven into a corner and tensions are heating up in the society. Both myself and the whole of Front view the action, scheduled for March 12, to be absolutely poignant and so we will support it.

- Some political figures spoke against the March, for this, they said, can hinder mass action, marking the 85th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic. What’s your position on that?

- Such viewpoints really existed but when we discussed this problem, we hoped that the action was aimed at somewhat a different circle of people and that the social protest action can’t really be combined with the festive one. Instead we should cheer any initiative, targeted at drawing as many people as possible into the public life and protest actions.

- As a scholar, what can you say of the state of our science and scientists?

- The science is experiencing tough times now. For instance, my laboratory can no longer resume research in the military-industrial sphere. And not only my laboratory, but the whole of academy used to concentrate on that back in the past. On the other hand, our personnel gets older, while young people prefer other spheres to science. In addition, we earn miserable wages and so many energetic people left for other spheres of activities. Regrettably, over the recent period there has seriously augmented the brain-drain from the country.