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The whole of the Yabloko faction will vote against
the law to approve the music of the USSR anthem as
the anthem of Russia.
The deputies of the faction think that the issue
of legislative approval
of
state symbols is inopportune. It would only be timely,
after resolving
the
most acute economic and political problems of the
country. The extremely
low
living standards of most Russian citizens, the energy
crisis in Maritime
Territory and the ongoing war in Chechnya demonstrate
that today we are
far
from this.
A return to the anthem of the USSR not only hinders
the stabilisation that
is so necessary in the country, but also aggravates
the split in society along political lines. The state
symbols that provoke resistance from a considerable
part of society cannot be adopted as state symbols.
At the same time, millions of people will never be
able to accept the anthem, whose music is inseparable
from words glorifying the party of Lenin-Stalin.
Today radical ideological decisions of any kind are
dangerous. Approval of the Soviet anthem can be placed
at the same level as restoration of Dzerzhinsky’s
(Ed. the first chief of the KGB) statue and other
radical proposals from both the left and right wing.
We respect our country’s history and the great
achievement of our nation. However, the Soviet anthem
is the symbol of power of the communist party and
the totalitarian state which ascribed the achievements
of the people solely to their own merit.
We believe that it a serious political error to enter
the new century with a state anthem that not simply
marks a return to the past, but is also connected
with only one page of our history – communism.
By taking such a step, the
President of Russia takes the side of the political
forces that are
trying
to reverse the course of history.
Once again we call on the President to curb examination
of the Law on the National Anthem. It is better to
acknowledge one’s mistake in time, rather than
bear historical responsibility for its consequences.
Head of the Yabloko faction Grigory
Yavlinsky
December 7, 2000
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