Grigory Yavlinsky: “The fact that people came out into the streets protesting is not a threat to the state yet, but Russia’s hope for the future”

Grigory Yavlinsky FB post, 30.03.2017

The fact that people came out into the streets protesting against lies, theft, meanness and irresponsibility of the authorities is not a threat to the state, but Russia’s hope for the future.

If the response to a [people’s] outburst, even the desperate impulse of citizens to freedom, justice and the truth, is police batons and imprisonment, then the authorities, perhaps, will be able to provide some peace for themselves. However, this will be the peace of decomposition and disintegration of the society, and then the country. Retreat from public life, disbelief in the future, hopelessness and political apathy are direct threats to Russia’s sovereignty and national security.

In order to preserve the development potential, the state that cares about national interests should not suppress the activity and independence of citizens, but contribute to their strengthening, involving more and more people into this activity. Unlike satiated, cynical and apathetic bureaucrats and deputies of the State Duma placed on the same footing with them, most people in Russia retain faith in our country and sincerely love it.

The state collapsed twice over the past hundred years in Russia – in 1917 and 1991. Each time we paid a colossal price for this. Each time the cause of the collapse of the state was a split between the government and the society. Today, in 2017, we once again observe a growing gap between the people and the government. To avoid the destruction of the statehood for the third time, it is important for everyone to understand that the fact that people come out into the streets is not a threat yet, but a hope.

We demand from the government not to impede the indifferent people, but give them the opportunity to take care of their own country and its future.

We demand that the government must abolish its suppression of public discussion. There is no need to invent something here. It is necessary to clear the media space field of the country – the federal media intended to be the channels of communication between society and the state – from lies, propaganda, fake themes and meaningless formats. People should be simply provided an opportunity to speak up and discuss the developments in their country openly and without censorship, and express their opinion.

We demand rigorous implementation of Article 31 of the Constitution, ensuring freedom of assembly and rallies. Naturally, protests on socially important topics such as the security of citizens, issues of war and peace, combating corruption and solving acute social problems (salaries, pensions, housing and communal services) should be heard by the government and the government should be sensitive to these issues, and, therefore, must be held in the centres of the cities, in places that have become landmarks. This also applies to speaking up on the problems that are significant for certain population groups: workers, scientists, teachers, peasants or entrepreneurs. Officials who obstruct citizens’ assemblies, mock them, must bear administrative responsibility up to dismissal from office.

We demand the release of political prisoners, including those accused on trumped-up criminal charges. The use of law enforcement to suppress political opponents is a crime. An official of any level suspected of committing such a crime must be removed from office until the investigation is completed.

We demand a [government’s] response to publicly denounced allegations of corruption of the state officials, the facts on their property not corresponding to their official income that have become known to the whole country. First of all, this applies to those who occupy the top state posts, in particular, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Certainly, we and the society as a whole realise that corruption in the highest echelons of power is not limited to corruption by such figures only, that a purposeful anti-corruption policy and corresponding investigations are needed. However, in a number of cases, a significant part of the investigations has already been published. The absence of any reaction to the publication of glaring facts is not just a cover for individual corrupt officials, it is an excuse for corruption at the state level.

We demand strict responsibility of officials for neglecting the demands and complaints of citizens. At present people need, like the air, a clear way for solution of many specific problems they face every day. These problems need not only voicing, because such voicing turns into a cry of despair. The problems must be solved in a daily mode.

We demand registration and admission to participation in elections of all levels for all political parties reflecting the interests of a significant or even a small number of citizens of our country. The exception should be only those who openly propagandise terrorism, fascism and other misanthropic ideologies.

We demand that presidential elections which the society can consider legitimate finally take place in Russia. Implementation of this requires at least the following steps:

– changing of the procedure for the formation of electoral commissions, including the Central Electoral Commission, which is now actually formed by the incumbent President, that is, one of the candidates;

– establishing of a special independent arbitration body to consider all disputes relating to preparations for elections and conducting of the electoral campaign;

– immediate creation of such television formats that would allow for fair, open and sufficiently long and informative debates, as well as obliging all candidates for the presidential post, without exception, to participate in the debates; organisation of such a debate is needed already at present, rather than a month before the elections;

– solution of the issue of state financing of presidential candidates’ election campaigns, guarantees of protection from persecution by the state to those business representatives who are willing to support independent politicians, as well as ensuring transparency of funding for all candidates;

– admitting of all the candidates significant for the society, including Alexey Navalny, to participate in the elections;

– provision of a publicly controlled, transparent and understandable procedure for receiving and verifying signatures collected in support of candidates.

And most importantly. We demand the guarantees of a peaceful and legitimate transfer of power in the event of the defeat of the incumbent President.