Uladzimir Matskevich: We shouldn’t be afraid of conflicts when we see the way out

Another conference of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum that will be held from May 31 till June 2 is going to be rather complicated.

This opinion shared to the EuroBelarus Information Service Uladzimir Matskevich, the Chairperson of the National Platform Interim Coordination Committee.

He recalled that the main formal task of the conference is to sanction the composition of the delegation to the EaP Civil Society Forum.

The complexity of the forthcoming event can be explained “with the fact that those problems, difficulties and contradictions between the participants of the National Platform that were established at the previous conference haven’t been solved during the past six months”.

“And, unfortunately, high rate of passivity among the bigger part of the participants of the platform leads to the fact that problems, tensions, difficulties are hushed up in hope that everything will be solved and disappears itself. But problems don’t disappear, they only pile up. I think that straining those tensions that already exist isn’t part of anyone’s interests now. So we can expect that everything will be quiet at the conference; however, there is a chance that the conference gives way to all the accumulated problems and mutual complaints”, - summed up Uladzimir Matskevich.

Among the unsolved questions he mentioned the problem of the unregulated concept of the National Platform activity. “On the one hand, it restricts both the Coordinative Committee and the active participants of the platform. While on the other, it is the reason why people  complaint about the passiveness of the Committee itself, and I don’t find these claims unjustified”, - noted Uladzimir Matskevich.

 According to his words, the problems that already exist are worsened with poor communication within the National Platform: “We have lots of unsolved questions and problems in the country, bad situation with the civil society and democratic opposition that we have to improve. And it can be improved by the tense intellectual work and tense communication. Accordingly, if there is no communication, then all that intellectual activity that has probably been made has no place and chances to show up”.

Considering the fact that during six months there basically wasn’t any communication between the participants of the platform, it is impossible to discuss all the urging problems during the conference, noted Uladzimir Matskevich.

“The probability that conflict situations appear is very high. But we shouldn’t be afraid of conflicts when they are efficient and we see the way out of them, possible compromise or opportunities for coordinate actions. When we don’t see them, the conflicts are destructive. And we can aggravate it only being aware of the efficient solution. And I don’t see it now”, - stated the Chairperson of the Interim Coordination Committee of the National Platform with regret.