War da nicht was?

Minsk, 12 November. Uladzimir Makey, head of the Presidential Administration, has suspended the work of the Public Advisory Council under its aegis. As Mr. Makey explains in a statement issued on Thursday, this decision was prompted by media reports in which "certain opposition figures," including members of the Council, dismissed it as a sham and a decorative body.
The government established the Council for real work and not for political dividends, Mr. Makey notes.
Convinced that any potentially useful idea should be heard, the government deliberately made a step to accommodate repeated appeals by a number of prominent public figures, he says.
However, calm and constructive work was not to the taste of some opposition figures, Mr. Makey says. Attacks on the Council became especially bold ahead of its November 13 meeting, which was to focus on amendments to the Electoral Code, he says.
For many years, opposition leaders had pressed for a dialogue with the government, making their demands especially well known in the European Union and using every opportunity to complain that the government did not even listen to it, Mr. Makey says. However, as soon as an efficient forum for a direct dialogue was established on the initiative of the government, unscrupulous politicians and journalists at their service viciously attacked the very idea of having the Public Advisory Council, he says.
"We are not opposed to competent and businesslike criticism of our work," he stresses. "We are interested in it and want the largest possible number of people to be informed about our joint activities."
"However, we cannot accept manipulations, speculation and blatant lies that have been unleashed at the Public Advisory Council by some political opportunists," Mr. Makey says.
"And if someone has the irresponsible intention to consciously and brazenly ruin this undertaking, they should bear in mind that they will be responsible for the disruption of the public dialogue that has begun," Mr. Makey says. "In connection with the above, I have made a decision that the Public Advisory Council should take a time-out and that personal consultations should be held with its members on the possibility and procedure of its future work."
Stanislaw Bahdankevich, honorary chairman of the United Civic Party who is a member of the Council, said earlier in the day that although a discussion of amendments to the Electoral Code at Friday's meeting of the Public Advisory Council would be useful, its results would "equal zero."
"Of course, the Council may make certain decisions, but they won't be implemented without [Alyaksandr] Lukashenka's sanction," Dr. Bahdankevich said.
Established on January 27 by consent of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the Public Advisory Council consisted of 30 members, including figures critical of the government. The first meeting of the Council, which focused on the rules of procedure, was held on February 6. At a meeting on April 31, the Council discussed the development of the Belarusian economy amid the current crisis. At its third meeting, which was held on June 17 at a correctional institution in Zhodzina, Minsk region, the Council discussed the issue of the death penalty.

18. November 2009

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