Mikalay Khalezin: “Counterculture leaders should formulate common demands to the authorities”

In connection with the meeting of Belarusian rock-musicians with the deputy head of the Presidential Administration on ideology Aleh Pralyaskouski, the head of the Free Theatre Mikalay Khalezin announced a new initiative during recording a program “Prague Accent” at radio Svaboda. Mikalay Khalezin told about the initiative to the Charter’97 press-center:

- The essence of the initiative is that we are to digest the lessons of what has happened. Such actions of the musicians have their background, and they are easily understood. To my mind, artists cannot accept negotiations with the regime. Negotiations with the regime should be carried out by politicians. An artist does not have a right for a compromise. A compromise is a politicians’ portion in life, it’s their profession.

I offer leaders of counterculture from different spheres to gather and formulate common demands to government agencies. These demands should be bound by a common vision of the problem. And after that a politician should be selected whom all leaders of the counterculture would trust. They are to represent our interests in the negotiations process.

- And why representatives of the counterculture cannot conduct talks independently?

- If everyone would hold negotiations independently, we won’t be able to take into consideration others’ requests, though all our desires amount to about 5 issues. And if all social spheres should put forward one main issue, release of political prisoners, while other issues would be specific, like banning of “black lists”, opening premises of for concerts. We have common problems, and we should tackle them together.

- Does it mean that a politician chosen by them would conduct negotiations directly?

- It means that a politician should conduct negotiations with the regime being inside a group for negotiations which should be formed from representatives of different social circles. Thus a group of negotiations would be formed, which would be entitled to carry out negotiations with the regime. And we’ll know who is held responsible, how the talks are proceeding, and how our rights are defended.

- How could be such an authorized representative to you mind?

- A person who has shown discrimination in culture issues, and to whom we’ll trust implicitly. It should be decided at the meeting of counterculture representatives. For example, I have such a politician in view, but I wouldn’t like to name him. I think everyone has his own views on this point.