Opposition leader says Belarusians ready for protests against vote-rigging :: Charter'97 :: News

Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Belarusian opposition leader and presidential hopeful, has told a Slovak daily that many of his compatriots are prepared to take to the streets to protest against vote-rigging in the forthcoming presidential election. He said that they are tired of "living in fear" and will express their dissatisfaction in the same way Ukrainians did during the Orange Revolution in 2004. Milinkevich spoke against union with Russia, but added Belarus should cooperate with its eastern neighbour. Speaking about incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Milinkevich said he could not promise Lukashenka immunity from prosecution even if the president resigned voluntarily. The following is the text of the interview with Milinkevich by Petra Prochazkova published in the Slovak newspaper Sme on 12 October; subheadings inserted editorially:

"I am afraid, but I have been able to overcome this fear so far," said the man with a greyish beard, smiling. A pleasant and open companion, 58-year-old Alyaksandr Milinkevich does not give the impression of a revolutionary or a warrior from the barricades. However, he has entered a fight in which lives can be at stake. He has become the candidate of the opposition for the post of Belarus president and intends to meet with the person who is able to mercilessly liquidate his rivals - the current ruler of Belarus, President Aleksander Lukashenka.

[Prochazkova] Aren`t you afraid that you will meet with the same fate as people who stood up against Lukashenka, disappeared, and were probably physically liquidated?

[Milinkevich] I would be crazy if I were not afraid. So far, I have found the courage to continue. I fear for my family. I encourage my children to be careful. However, what will you do if they kidnap your son and say: "He will be all right if you start to obey."

[Prochazkova] Then, why are you doing this?

[Milinkevich] I and many other people are aware that Belarus is in danger. This does not concern the political system, but the very existence of the independent state. People feel this. If you ask someone now whether they can speak their native language, they say: "Sorry, but I do not yet speak Belarusian." This is a big change. No-one said "sorry" before.

[Prochazkova] So you oppose the unification between Belarus and Russia?

[Milinkevich] This is Lukashenka`s vision. When he became president, his further goal was to settle down in the Kremlin. It looks like a crazy idea today, but when Boris Yeltsin was Russian president, Lukashenka had great chances. He took advantage of the nostalgia for the Soviet Union, relying on less educated groups and villages. Now, he will not manage to carry out his ambition to become the ruler of a unified superpower. Therefore, he no longer wants unification, although he is pushing for it on the outside. The notion that he would only be prime minister of a new country does not satisfy him. For him, it is better to be the king of a small country than the second or third man in an empire.

[Prochazkova] Moscow is terrified at the prospect of further revolutions in the post-Soviet area. Lukashenka is a strong rival, but Russia is even stronger. Do you also want to resist Moscow?

[Milinkevich] Belarusianization of internal policy is taking place in Russia. However, Putin is not a madman to discredit himself in the eyes of the world even more than he has until now. The unification with Belarus would be an international nonsense. We want to convince people that we are not against cooperation with Russia. Just the contrary.

[Prochazkova] However, Belarus is completely economically dependent on Russia. Isn`t this the reason why so many Belarusians support the unification?

[Milinkevich] Lukashenka has built the economy to be 100-percent dependent on the Russian market. We produce things that will only be bought in Russia. On the other hand, everyone has had enough of the talk about unification. An opinion that we want to cooperate both with the East and the West is being spread in Belarus. No-one is calling for NATO entry, but the desire for an alliance with Russia is becoming weaker. I think that the notion of neutrality is prevailing. This is also my idea.
Belarusians living in fear

[Prochazkova] Lukashenka will apparently not let you win the election without a fight. Will you be able to make people go out on the streets, as the current Ukrainian president managed to do?

[Milinkevich] In Ukraine, people took to the streets not for bacon and the leader, but because they had been humiliated. If Belarusians ever take to the streets, the reason will be the same. They will defend their own dignity and the future of their children. They are living in great fear today. It is greater than under Brezhnev. The state has made citizens totally dependent on it. Drink vodka or beer, but do not dabble in politics. However, the situation is changing slowly.

[Prochazkova] However, it is very difficult to change public opinion without being able to influence it through the media.

[Milinkevich] Only one person is allowed to engage in politics in this country. Lukashenka. After all, people do not even know the prime minister. Lukashenka appears on television every day and says what is good and what is bad. A joke is very popular in Belarus these days. Lukashenka speaks on the telephone: "Yes, like this, also like this, no, not like this, yes, like this." Then he puts down the receiver and sighs: "They are unable to even sort potatoes without me." Many people really think that if there is no Lukashenka, there will be nothing, not even potatoes.

[Prochazkova] This is precisely the reason why they will perhaps not want to take to the streets.

[Milinkevich] Many people know that they will be deceived again in the election. Therefore, they are prepared to take to the streets. Without stones or firearms.

[Prochazkova] Will the other side also have empty hands?

[Milinkevich] This cannot be assumed.

[Prochazkova] Let us suppose that you will manage to win. What will happen then?

[Milinkevich] Belarusians are saying today that they are not living very well, but it is not a disaster. The phrase that you hear most frequently is: "The main thing is that there is no war." We must convince citizens that if we win, we will not allow chaos, there will be no fights, explosions or assassinations. The opposition has united thanks to Lukashenka. This is why the communists and the democrats are cooperating today. If there is no Lukashenka anymore, a very difficult period will come. I see my task is that if I become president, my main goal will be a free parliamentary election.

[Prochazkova] What will you do with Lukashenka?

[Milinkevich] Lukashenka cannot be changed. As far as his fate is concerned, I do not intend to agree to the game that some people have proposed, that is, to offer him guarantees of safety if he resigns voluntarily. How can I forget about those who have disappeared without a trace? Only courts can say whether or not he is guilty. I cannot give any guarantees to anyone, as I do not know what he has done.

[Prochazkova] Aren`t you afraid of a civil war?

[Milinkevich] Everyone heard Lukashenka when he said that he would defend himself even with a machine gun in his hands. None of us wants to die or shed blood. However, anything can happen. If you go to war, you must know that guns are fired there. I know that when we call on people to attend a demonstration, we are calling on them to take a risk. The idea that someone would die is terrifying to me. But I believe that people were not born to merely eat sandwiches and drink vodka. I consider certain things sacred.

[Prochazkova] The coloured revolutions that have taken place in former Soviet republics allegedly have their model in the Czech Velvet Revolution. Their leaders often refer to Vaclav Havel. Is he an inspiration to you?

[Milinkevich] On Tuesday 5 October, the Belarus newspaper Narodnaya Volya carried an article entitled "Milinkevich is not a Belarusian Yushchenko, but a Belarusian Havel". I do not deserve this comparison. They compare me to Havel perhaps because I am not the same type of revolutionary as Yushchenko, but instead a calmer intellectual. However, I will borrow something from Yushchenko; I will have my own Yuliya Tymoshenko.

[Prochazkova] Have you chosen a political partner yet?

[Milinkevich] Yes, I have. Ms Iryna Krasowskaya. Her husband, a businessman, had disappeared without a trace, like many others, and he was probably murdered. She is beautiful, intelligent and vivacious.