You cannot even imagine us

• Dzmitry Halko, “Narodnaya Volya”
• 30.01.2012, 9:36

On Saturday in a program “World view” with Yury Kaziyatka at RTR-Belarus TV-channel the chairman of the “Council of republic” Anatoly Rubinau made an unexpected statement.On Saturday in a program “World view” with Yury Kaziyatka at RTR-Belarus TV-channel the chairman of the “Council of republic” Anatoly Rubinau made an unexpected statement.

“The issue of having a systemic opposition is the most important issue of our political system,” he said.

And the aim is not for the West to understand and forgive us, and after doing so would give us currency, though we do trust it (as it can go down in value any moment!) and do not recommend others, but we really need it. You won’t believe me, but opposition is necessary, as “a country cannot develop without it in a normal way”. It is not good for a country to have the one and only correct point of view. “No matter how good this point of view is or how infallible the author of this point of view may seem,” the chairman of the “council of republic” risky adds.

It turns out that alternative proposal, criticism and hard questions are needed. Generally speaking, opposition is needed. It is simply indispensable, one cannot do without it.

As the first stage of our country’s existence, which required “specific methods of state administration” according to Rubinau’s diplomatic expression, is over. The president will courageously commit an act of self-restraint, and the election would be open for all comers. There will be no obstacles, and our votes would be counted at last, instead of writing them with the help of beetroot soup, would they? A new era will start in the history of our country, when relations of citizens and the president would be defined by the formula invented by Russian commando: “You are a human as well as me, you are not a god, and I am a human like you, not a sucker”.

Unfortunately, the journalist had not asked these questions. He just asked where “a normal” opposition could come from, who would create it. The reason is, Rubinau is dissatisfied by the opposition in its present form: “they all are at squares, they make assaults and so on, slogans and calling names all the time.”

But not only Rubinau is dissatisfied by the opposition in its present form. I do not think that it would be an exaggeration to say that the majority of democratic public is dissatisfied by it primarily. And not because they are spending time at squares, there is no one there long ago – and moreover, it is normal for opposition to flock at squares – but for the reason of its deplorable helplessness.

The reasons for this helplessness are certain inherent defect as well. But generally speaking, in the situation of authoritarian regime which harshly puts down any unsanctioned manifestations in social and political life, the opposition has only two ways to choose: either to act in the format of revolutionary underground, or to imitate oppositional activities within strictly limited boundaries (these limits do not allow anything except imitation). We do not have revolutionary underground, it is a different case, so we are observing the second variant. Like Eeyore the Donkey would say: “Pathetic, that's what it is.”.

To the question of Kaziyatka, where a different opposition could be taken from, Rubinau answered: “It must be in the parliament.” In the parliament? Its’ wonderful. But how would it get into the parliament? No answer. Or is it meant that it is already there, but we do not know about it, it is hidden from us still? The president had been implying that recently, saying that heated debate is taking place behind the walls of the parliament, but it is hidden from the public, as dirty linen should not be washed in public. It seems that he finds the collective intelligence of the nation not strong enough to take conflicting points of view.

Well, our superiors! Please stop to take us for little children, and decide for us, what we are ready for and what not. As one of brilliant slogans in December protests in Moscow says: “You cannot even imagine us!” No original theories of opposition’s spontaneous generation should be invented. No opposition which would suit everyone including the authorities should be invented. Just let us leave the twilight, the duskiness of the political ghetto we had been kept in for so many years. We shall speak for ourselves, and answer for ourselves.

Dzmitry Halko, “Narodnaya Volya”