Talking enough fighting :: Charter'97 :: News

The situation in Belarus is, say, remarkable: the state authorities are talking about their being interested in developing a dialogue with Europe, the opposition has started admitting the possibility of a dialogue with the authorities, Europe is talking about the importance of developing a dialogue with Belarus, but all those talks are directed into the outer space and, as parallel lines never cross each other. Why not agree inside the country about how to live on and then to work with Europe directly and not through “business swindlers”. What’s wrong with that? The explanation is being readily offered from different sides: the authorities are so strong and the opposition is so weak that it is senseless for the strong power to talk to the weak opposition. It is clear when such reasons are suggested by the propagandists who are close to authorities but the same formulations are heard from the figures from oppositional circles.

“Strong” power

For a couple of months we have heard so many revealing official statements that it is high time to think not only of how strong the power is but of the coming future in general. We have learnt that we were at the brink of default, that the hard currency has been simply washed out of the economy that a third part of enterprises is unprofitable, that time has come for communal services price-hike, that there are no resources for budget subsidies of the unprofitable “kolkhozes”, that the attempt has been made for raising resource through school tests charges. And all that has been happening against the background of the resolution on economizing and saving and demands to shift to burning wood for heating purposes. That is a remarkable result of the policy of prosperity which has been pursued for so many years. But the soundest result is the decision on benefits annulment for all categories of the population –from students up to pensioners. The state of social security has collapsed, because for providing such type of security the strong economy is required, the economy which can provide the social security through profitability and not through losses. That means that we need the reforms and the only means for providing social security for everybody without reforms is total poverty. A nice final. And the corruption according to the official data has flourished incredibly. Thus, the power might be strong in general but absolutely ineffective.

That strong power has been persistently driving the country to crises and now – to disaster.

“Weak” opposition

But it is the opposition, no matter what it is like, that carries opposite, i.e. democratic, values and guarantees another way of development in line with the European vector. Any opposition of any country could be proud of the multi- thousand actions of the Belarusian opposition during the Chernobyl Way, the Marches of Freedom, Kalinousky Square and the Day of Liberty.”The weak” opposition today is respected and supported all over the world by the world-famous policymakers, public figures, top stars. The level of the Belarusian opposition contacts are envied by the leaders of many European states. Moreover, the quality and quantity of the contacts are increasing with every passing year. And those ties will never disappear. After the situation changes they can be easily transformed into investments, cutting edge technologies, cultural events of the world level in Minsk and not in Vilnius or Kiev.

Now pay attention to who the power meets with. Such contacts may result in the situation when the life in our own country will become neither safe nor secure.

Foot-hold

After the conflict with the Kremlin the authorities were supposed to realize how dangerous and pointless it is to play games with the large eastern predator. The rescue operation was based on the slogans of independence. It seems that the time has come to realize that the state independence is not merely a slogan, the bargaining chip and a blackmail tool but the basis for really strong and prosperous state. This foot-hold is recognized by the majority of democratic forces. Then what is the reason for fighting the idea which can serve the basis for public reconciliation allowing searching jointly the common ways of overcoming possible economic problems? What is the reason for violent persecution of independence supporters with the help of militia truncheons and throwing them into prisons? And who is so afraid of the perspective of the European choice for Belarus?

Those obstacles are more likely of a subjective, not objective nature. Belarus is really at a threshold. The decisions are to be made immediately and they are to be well-balanced lest we should become hostages of the unpredictable developments. But it is totally absurd to look for the way out through prisons and truncheons along with asking financial help from democratic Europe. But changing of the situation in Belarus will immediately give the possibility of true economic growth.

“Talking enough fighting”

When typing those three words a computer persistently prompts “comma is needed after enough”. But the computer becomes satisfied with the comma after the word “talking”. Either it is clever or well- aware of the situation in Belarus. The opposition suggested the dialogue to the authorities. That was not easy to make this step. This line was not easy to be followed because of senseless severe punishment of people with opposite viewpoints. Not everybody among the opposition believes in the possibility of a dialogue, some people openly speak against such development of events. The vertical authorities have been ordered not to notice the stretched hand of the opposition but to continue senseless repetition of the mantra that ”the life is getting better”. The reason for that can be found in the bewilderment and disability of understanding the benefits of the situation changing by means of a dialogue and not in any other way. The authorities got the invitation to joint celebration of the 25 March- the remarkable date in the history of Belarus. But they ignored the invitation and resorted to the accustomed practice of threatening, forced dispersing and arrests. Let it be. Maybe somebody does not like the 25 March to be a milestone in the country’s history. Today another offer is being made to the authorities: to try and agree on the action to be held 14 October, the neutral date. The action is entitled ‘European March”. It is to be mentioned that recently the officials more often and intensively speak of their hopes on Europe’s help, on improving the relationship with Europe. Then let us manifest that Belarus is not hopeless, that we can manage and come to an agreement and to secure the European choice for Belarus. Multiple special forces groups running with their truncheons after the youth all over the country can’t be considered as a response to serious proposals. Let’s stop behaving as partisans from the anecdote which continue blowing up trains nowadays only because nobody has informed them that the war was over. Somebody must say that the war is over and those trains are full of people, our people.