„Our values“ – the program of the „Belarusian opposition“

by Eugen Hardt

content from:
http://reformby.com/be

Shortly before the Belarusian elections, the following translated program of the “Belarusian opposition” was published as a result of the joint work of a number of political organizations. Political parties such as the Belarusian Popular Front, the Belarusian Green Party, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), the Belarusian Christian Democracy, the United Citizens ‚Party and the movement “For Freedom” and the center of citizens‘ initiatives “Our House” took part in the initiative was called the „resuscitation reform package“.

It is significant that it is a new edition of the Ukrainian program of the same name that appeared after the Maidan coup in 2014. The official  sponsors of  the platform are the  European Union, USAID, Pact, the European Endowment for Democracy and the International Renaissance Fund .

Accordingly, it is a program of privatizing state-owned companies, integrating Belarus into the EU and NATO and suppressing any political, media and cultural Russian influence – all under the label of “freedom” and “democracy”.

„OUR VALUES

The participants of the joint platform „Reform Package Revitalization“ for Belarus share common values:

• Building a legal, democratic and social state
• Strengthening the country’s sovereignty and independence
• Carrying out  socio-economic transformations  and  building a market economy
• National and cultural revitalization

The main objective of national security sector reform is to mobilize and consolidate society immediately to protect independence and sovereignty

aims

• Strengthening national identity increasing patriotism and national dignity,
• Unification of society on the basis of democratic values ​​and the idea of ​​building an independent Belarus;
• Reducing the Kremlin’s influence on Belarus through informative, economic, inclusive and humanitarian factors;
• Withdrawal from the post-Soviet integration associations dominated by Russia;
• Integration into western political, economic and military structures (EU, NATO) .

Main steps to implement the concept

Priority measures (until 2021):

1. In the political field.

• Exit from  the „Union State“,  the Eurasian Union , the Customs Union and other integration units in which Russia dominates;
• Prohibition of pro-Russian organizations whose activities run counter to national interests, as well as Russian foundations and organizations that finance such structures;
• Criminalization of public statements that call into question the existence of a Belarusian nation and / or its historical right to a state of its own. Introduction of criminal liability for public insults against the Belarusian language;
• civil society monitoring of pro-Kremlin initiatives in Belarus;
• Border and customs control on the border with Russia.

2. Ban on the sale of Belarusian infrastructure to Russian companies.

3. In the information area:

• Liberation of independent media from pressure and state control, guarantee of media freedom and freedom of expression in Belarus;
• Prohibition of broadcasting  journalistic, socio-political and news programs by  Russian TV channels  in Belarus.
• Inclusion of  mandatory public TV channels from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine  in the standard TV package;
• Restoring the permanent activities of the Public Coordination Council in the field of mass media.

4. In the military sector:

• Withdrawal from the CSTO , restoring full control of Belarusian air and missile defense systems;
• Withdrawal of Russian military installations from the territory of Belarus – a communication center in Vileika and a radar station near Baranovichi;
• Strengthening patriotic education in the Belarusian army;
• Translation of educational work in the army into Belarusian;
• Development of the border infrastructure on the border with EU countries, increasing the capacity of the border crossings

Long-term goals (until 2030)

• Creation of a comprehensive education system in Belarusian from kindergarten to university;
• Restoration of the  Belarusian Orthodox Church  as a national alternative to the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.