Belarusian National Platform of EaP CSF Holds Its Press Conference

Belarusian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum held its press conference on March 18, 2011.

It was attended by Ulad Vialicka, Co-Chairperson of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, National Coordinator for Belarus and Chairperson of the International Consortium “EUROBELARUS”, Andrei Yahorau, Director of the European Transformation Centre, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Chairperson of the Human Rights Public Association “Movement ‘For Freedom’”, Andrey Dmitriev, Deputy Manager of the Civil Campaign “Tell the Truth”, Uladzimir Kolas, Chairperson of the Belarusian Intellectuals’ Council, and Uladzimir Mackievich, Head of the Humanitarian Technologies Agency. 

The press conference topic was to lay out positions related to organising a public dialogue directed at seeking and coordinating a common strategy to be followed by all the democratically oriented forces of Belarus. A conference entitled “Civil Society Role & Place in the Future Strategy” had been scheduled for March 19-20, 2011; it was to address the task of coordinating the momentous strategic proposals made for the civil society and democratic opposition. However, the Conference Organising Committee had been denied the opportunity to hold it.

“The basic idea behind our Conference is putting forth, criticising and discussing the strategic proposals made with all the interested actors of the civil society and political opposition. This strategic orientation seems to have provided the main reason for an actual ban imposed on the event, — believes Ulad Vialicka, Co-Chairperson of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. — The decision taken by the Minsk City Executive Committee is putting us in a difficult situation, yet, it is unlikely to stop the initiated process. The Conference has been postponed for several weeks, and we as its organisers insist on our right to debate openly and freely the socio-political problems faced by our country on the basis of  the National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership”.

Andrei Yahorau, Director of the European Transformation Centre, has focused on the need to analyse and evaluate the current situation this country is in, as well as on the fact that only can be changed by joint efforts: “Today neither the civil society, nor the political opposition are ready to change the situation in this country. We lack the forces needed to solve any issues of any major significance. Without building up our potential and without achieving unity, we are incapable either of assisting in setting free the political prisoners, or, moreover, of taking this country back on track of the democratic transformations. This is exactly why we need a single strategy to be pursued by all the democratic forces. Our strategy option is based on a key idea of negotiations and dialogue to be organised in a way that the political regime could not help implementing our demands. This will require a high degree of consolidation and mutual confidence among all the democratically oriented forces”.

Alyaksandr Milinkevich, leader the HRPA “Movement ‘For Freedom’” has pointed out that in today’s situation, when this  country’s independence, leave alone its democratic transformations, is in jeopardy, the consolidation, so much spoken about, should become an action, rather than a mere word: “An action by the people who understand what is going on in this country and what prospects are available, and understand their responsibility. Not the one for themselves personally or for their organisations, but for the country. And the fact that today the civil society representatives are suggesting for the first time in many years setting up in this country a consolidated centre to be united on one platform, is a very significant one. I am convinced that such a platform can be developed. This is a vision of Belarus’ future”.

The need for working out the democratic forces’ unified strategy has also been emphasised by Andrey Dmitriev when mentioning the position of the Democratic Forces’ National Coordination Council: “As of today, the Coordination Council, generally, does believe that a unified strategy is a must. At the same time, one should assume that two strategies of democratic forces mean no strategy. If we move again in separate columns, it means we are moving nowhere. The Coordination Council is working today on its strategy and will later be ready for an open discussion with all the cards put up on the table and with clear and comprehensible positions”.

While analysing the former failed attempts by the Belarusian democratic forces to consolidate, Uladzimir Kolas, Chairperson of the Belarusian Intellectuals’ Council, has identified one of the problems arising when trying to elaborate a single strategy, and when “looking for the truth” is substituted by fighting for the political capital. And then any proposals, however sensible they are, if made by the political rivals, are not accepted exactly because there is no desire to give up leadership. Even to those who merit the leadership. We are to look for the way of overcoming the problem”.

Uladzimir Mackievich, Head of the Humanitarian Technologies Agency, has declared in his address to the press conference: “The Belarusian nation is split into fragments; regular national accord and dialogue institutions are not working in this country. They are to be restored in the first place. The situation of confrontation and the battle for destruction must be changed. This is to make the primary objective and essence of any strategy. We are one nation! We alone, the Belarusians, are responsible for what is going on in our country. It’s nobody else but we who can change it”.