Milinkevich will organise the Pro-European Forces Congress
According to the information of “My” (which means “Us”), the leader of the Movement For Freedom (MFF) Aliaksandr Milinkevich intends to send a letter to a great number of democratic activists in the next few days. There will be approximately 5 to 6 thousand addressees – mainly participants of the 2006 presidential electoral campaign (members of various organizations, parties, and independent persons). The letter signed by Milinkevich will reach everyone not by e-mail but by regular mail service.
Lately, Milinkevich have frequently said that opposition should work hard on correcting mistakes and reform its activity in order to increase its influence. Apparently, the MFF team makes a transition from words to practice. And the first step (laborious but potentially efficient from the point of view of political marketing) is to engage the activists of organizations of all sorts into this practice.
Basicly, Milinkevich directly explains his today’s position concerning relations with Europe and with the state authorities, which has been strongly criticized by several some opposition leaders.
Particular actions proposed by the MFF will, certainly, give impetus to the opposition environment. The different question is – to what result?
The main Milinkevich’s message in the mentioned letter is the need of both ideological and organizational consolidation of the pro-European forces.
As part of this, Milinkevich organizes this year the forum of the supporters of the European integration of Belarus under the working name Pro-European Forces Congress.
“In view of the latest political developments, I want to address you and express my opinion concerning the situation in our country and around its borders. For me, it is important that you know my view directly from me”, Aliaksandr Milinkevich writes in his letter which “My” had the chance to receive.
According to Milinkevich, the previous policy of the European Union “was seen by the Belarusian authorities as an ultimatum and didn’t allow them to engage even in the least constructive and publicly open political cooperation with the united Europe without loosing some authority”. The regime could not accept the well-known twelve conditions: “Because their implementation meant the demounting of today’s political system and the loss of power by the current head of the state”.
Moreover, as Milinkevich writes, those conditions weren’t supported “by any systematic actions which could allow creating corresponding mechanisms of correction of Belarusian state policy. And due to the said reason, the position of the EU relating to Belarus looked formal and passive”.
Concerning Russia: “Until recently, due to the absence of any political prospects in the western direction the situation of the Belarusian authorities was a real stalemate. The regime could not stop the Union State project and had no possibilities to start political dialogue and economic cooperation with the EU. And the EU is the only real partner who can help modernize the Belarusian economy which is essential for us if we do not want to lose our independence”.
Concerning the new EU policy of cooperation with Belarus. Milinkevich says that Europe started “to implement a more flexible policy of critical dialogue and dosed cooperation which will increase or decrease based on the real steps in the direction of democratization of Belarus. The purpose of this dialogue and cooperation is to force the Belarusian authorities to start the gradual process of reforming the economic and political system of the country which will sooner or later lead to transformation of today’s model of political system. The implementation of the new EU policy should be done through the inclusion of Belarus in the Eastern Partnership Initiative”.
Concerning the dialogue and the opposition which is a sore point for many democratic activists. As it is written in Milinkevich’s letter: “The internal division in today’s Belarusian opposition is based on the fact that some of us continue to struggle solely against Lukashenka whereas others struggle mainly for Belarus and for the European choice of Belarus. The former hope for the crisis which, supposedly, will automatically liquidate the dictatorship. The latter, including myself, see no other alternative political project to the rapprochement with the EU”.
“Today, the European Union attempts to work closely with the authorities so that –with the help of the economic incentives – the processes of transition of our country to greater openness and predictability could be promoted. The authorities, on their part, give signals saying that they can achieve a certain economic liberalization. However, we all know that democratization of the civil and political life is by no means the priority for the Belarusian regime. That is why the main role in this should belong to the civil society. The united Europe won’t solve the problems of democratization of the Belarusian society for us. These hopes are in vain. It is we who can and should work directly and continuously with the citizens of our country”, the MFF leader writes.
Milinkevich says that “the solidarity and the unity of potential of Belarusian pro-European forces are extremely important today. We should demonstrate that we are numerous, that we all aspire to join Belarus to the processes of European integration, and that we are ready for decisive actions so that the European choice of Belarus is final and unchangeable”.
And “the first step in this direction should be the Congress of the Pro-European Belarusian Forces with the participation of the leading policy makers of the united Europe. We should discuss European prospects of our country together and should set practical steps. This Pro-European Forces Congress should become the forum of all supporters of the European Belarus”.
Milinkevich calls on “the activists of all political parties, civil organizations, initiatives, and all citizens of Belarus who share the idea of European choice of our country to start the preparatory work for the Pro-European Forces Congress. This work should start with the creation of the initiative groups at the regional meetings in order to choose the delegates for the Pro-European Forces Congress”.
Thus, at the times of transformed political conditions, the MFF initiates a certain reform and re-formatting of the democratic forces.
The MFF initiative can be considered the mobilization of the democratic activists with their engagement into the process of promotion and forcing of the European integration of Belarus. Indeed, many opposition activists have been in apathy lately, but will Milinkevich manage to inspire them with the help of his self-criticism and articulation of his intentions to deal with politics in a new way – with the accent on the result and not on demonstration? Much will depend on the personal authority of the MFF leader, on the common evolution of the democratic activists’ approaches, and on their attitude to the domestic and foreign policy mainstream.
The Pro-European Forces Congress could become the test of the efficiency and motivation of opposition all over the country.
And, surely, the MFF which claims leadership aims to test the potential it has and check the situation both in connection to the evolutionary tactics and to the forthcoming presidential elections.
We can predict that Milinkevich’s address will be received with annoyance by political parties and that they will blame him of another attempt to draw human resources over to his side.
Ihnat CHAKATSKI
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