| Sergei
Ivanenko represents Yabloko in Committee
2008. In his opinion, the committee has three main tasks. He explained
his view to Vladimir Maximov  Ivanenko:
The first is an independent political assessment of developments in the
country. We have made a number of political statements on the situation
in Chechnya, on defending Igor Sutyagin, on filing court cases over the
results of the parliamentary elections. The second is to popularize the
ideas and values of a liberal democracy. Today we are losing the competition
with representatives of the ideology of the party of power. It is very
hard to expect to succeed, if only 10-15% of the population adhere to
democratic ideas, instead of 80-90%, as was the case at the end of the
1980s. The third task is to create a democratic coalition which would
participate in elections at all levels.
Question: What can be done in conditions of an authoritarian
regime?
Ivanenko: The regime is not purely authoritarian: this
is not Caesar’s regime, but rather an aristocratic regime. Today
a whole class has been created, that is interested in preventing the establishment
of a developed democracy in Russia, as this would get rid of its privileges.
It would deprive them of the possibility of holding posts forever, which
provide them with political and material dividends. It would deprive them
of protection from the mass media, whose voice has been shut off, as there
is a massive gap between the official and real earnings of this class.
It would remove the privileges related to business which is impossible
to perform without access to officials. Naturally we oppose this system.
Question: With whom is Yabloko ready to unite to change
the situation?
Ivanenko: With democratic forces. You cannot unite
with political representatives of the oligarchs. The oligarchs always
back the party in power and not civil society and political freedom. Big
capital will always move in line with the authorities.
Question: And it doesn’t want to, it ends up in jail?
Ivanenko: Or in other similar places… It is impossible
to merge with radicals, who have to date kept the names Lenin and Stalin
on their banners.
Question: How can you work, as you are cut off from the
mass media, especially in circumstances, where sponsors have been shown
what happens if they finance the wrong people?
Ivanenko: Parties are established to work in opposition,
when there are no other options. Yabloko will do the following: protect
the real rights of citizens, protect electoral rights and fight the administrative
resource, engage in protest actions against the infringement of civilian
and political rights. Coalition work: we are trying to collect all the
honest democrats, we are holding talks with public organizations. Expert
work: we draft positions on the most important areas for the public and
bring them to their attention through the mass media which remain independent.
“The damn is bursting”. The more you press down on a spring,
the stronger it rebounds. People are already sick and tired of watching
the Vremya programme of 1982 [Ed. Soviet title of the news that tended
not to report about real developments in the Soviet Union]. Gradually
they will become more interested in independent views. Our task is to
make these words serious and interesting for people..
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