P.Kuzniatsou: To consolidate, there’s need of leaders without "baggage of defeats"

The unification of all democratic forces and election of a single leader is only possible in case of changing of the democratic opposition first persons.

This opinion was expressed by the coordinator of the Movement "For Freedom" in Gomel region and the head of the civil initiative Gomel Democratic Forum Piotr Kuzniatsou, in a conversation with the EuroBelarus Information Service.

He noted that the consolidation of the political opposition is impossible "in the presence of the very people who put forward a single candidate in 2001 and 2006".

"These people lack motivation to risk their status in any election. In the case when one of them loses, he loses and delegates some of his powers to another leader. And they have, actually, no motivation to take such a risk, and motivation prevails as to defend their own corporate interests by all means", explained his position Piotr Kuzniatsou.

"We have seen the "parade of candidates" in 2010, when they all were put forward in order to declare themselves, their structures as loud as possible, and thus, to take an entirely new place, a qualitatively new niche in the alignment of the opposition. Therefore, election of a single candidate will only be possible if people who do not have such a baggage of defeats claim for this position and have the motivation to really fight for the power. Then they will be able somewhere to ompromise their narrow interests in order to achieve broader goals", expressed his belief the public leader.

In his view, "it is difficult to assess" so far the role of the National Platform of the Civil Society Forum in consolidation processes.

Speaking about consolidation processes within Gomel region, he noted that "regional policy largely depends on the position of the center".

"It is not like this that you can come together and conclude full contracts, which would later be executed because all regional agreements are being subsequently audited in accordance with the national policy. Therefore, the real consolidation of political forces at the regional level is possible at level of specific, localized "hot spots" - issues for joint activities that are specific to a particular location", is convinced Piotr Kuzniatsou.

According to him, such a "hot spot" can become in Gomel Navabelitsky district where no deputy was elected to the House of Representatives. “Another election will take place there; another political cycle is upcoming and, of course, there is an opportunity to appeal to a wide public. And in Gomel region now the broad social and political coalition is being formed that will work actively in Navabelitsa", said the source.

In parallel, consolidation of non-governmental, independent of the government organizations takes place, being interested in changing the basic conditions of their existence. "This process has run to begin with May 18. Back then the first meeting was held where a multi-stage strategy was developed, that provided for its implementation, would establish an effective mechanism of interaction and promoting the interests, rather than being a simple declaration of some kind of coalition’s presence”, said Piotr Kuzniatsou.

He noted that talking about the possibility of transferring the Gomel experience at the national level is too early as well. "I believe that the experience can be transferred in the case when it has led to some positive result. Meanwhile, we have these processes, they say, underway; and there is no result yet. The only thing that is theoretically possible to argue about that the local unification around specific campaigns is possible and it is the best way to date. And this is possible in any region of the country. Maybe it's even possible at the national level, if taking a specific topics for interaction, which no one has any contradictions on", admitted the source.

"As regards NGO, I think that there is enough experience of the joint NGOs’ activities in Belarus; and the forms of cooperation are also plenty. The only problem with these forms is to give substance to them. And any experience will help here, nor Homel’s nor Moscow’s nor any other experience, if there is no desire and will of these NGO to somehow cooperate", concluded Piotr Kuzniatsou.