Milinkevich: Whole generation of Belarusians do not want their country to return to Soviet past :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarus has a whole generation of people who do not want their country to return to the Soviet past, Aleksandr Milinkevich, opposition forces` single candidate for next year`s presidential race, said at a convention of the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society (BLS) in Minsk on Sunday.

Unlike other speakers, Mr. Milinkevich expressed optimism about the current trends in the use of the Belarusian language in the country. "When the government makes no effort to promote the Belarusian language, Belarusification takes place in the minds of people. It has become prestigious to speak Belarusian. It has never been like this before," he said but admitted that one needs courage to speak the indigenous language. As an example, he cited Aleksei Lapitsky, an BLS activist in Zhodino who forced authorities to reopen a Belarusian-language class at a school for his son.

Mr. Milinkevich said that his grandfather had been imprisoned between World War I and World War II for his involvement in a Belarusian nationalist movement. "The grandfather is an example that inspires me and gives me courage, which we all need today," he said.