Yauhen Afnahel : Lukashenka Gets Another ‘Black Mark

Even people with a relatively high salary turned away from the dictator.

Yesterday, on June 20, a meeting was held in Navapolatsk with the leaders of the Belarusian National Congress presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich and coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign Yauhen Afnahel.

At the request of the Charter97.org news website, Yauhen Afnahel provided some details of the meeting.

- You wrote on Facebook: “Navapolatsk is super!” Full hall, more than 70 people, a variety of views and convictions.” What is the reason that so many people came to the meeting?

- In fact, it was a surprise for us that so many people came to a relatively prosperous town. After all, those who work in the large factories of Navapolatsk have a salary, as they themselves said, “even more or less okay”. This is certainly not $ 500, but more than in other regional centers.

But on the other hand, for those who are not connected with Naftan, the salary is the same as in other regions - 150-200 dollars.

Navapolatsk is a relatively young town. In it, people used to live a little better than the national average. And the economic crisis is visible everywhere. Therefore, the fact that people understand the following has played its part: a catastrophe in the economy will affect everyone, including those who are earning relatively well now. Moreover, they will lose more than others.

The difference between the former well-being and that which awaits is sharper and more painful. It’s not even my opinion, one of the townsmen said so.

The second reason: there are global problems that are not connected with the “fridge stuffing issues”, but with the future of our state and its citizens. A lot of people at the meeting were worried about the issues of independence, geopolitics, the latest statements of the Russian leaders that the introduction of a single currency is being discussed.

Just yesterday, Putin said the words that the treaty on the “union state” should be respected, in which the “single parliament” and the “common currency” are spelled out. And these points were also discussed at the meeting.

In general, it seems obvious that with each new meeting more and more people come. People get more information from independent media outlets, including Charter97.org, about what happens, during our trips around the cities. The interest is growing.

And if at the first meetings, people seemed more willing to discuss mainly local issues, salaries, pensions, then with each new meeting the topics of conversation expand - to the questions about the country's independence and how Belarus will develop in the future. We have already discussed the economy in a global sense: investment, business development in a free Belarus - how to equip the country after Lukashenka.

- Can you quote some other memorable sayings of the people at this meeting, what was the atmosphere?

- Usually at every meeting we begin a conversation about the general situation in the country. Now, they just interrupted us: “We all know this perfectly well. What to do? How to change the power? How to quickly reform the economy after the change of power? How to make sure that Lukashenka left in the near future, and within 5-10 years we have already been able to carry out reforms of the European level? ”

In Navapolatsk it was interesting that people asked very practical questions. They were not interested in talking about the current situation: everyone already knows everything well. Everyone is waiting for a clear plan of action: how to defeat Lukashenka and achieve freedom in a relatively short period of time.

Moreover, given the recent statements of the Belarusian and Russian authorities, it is clear to the majority that the next 1.5-2 years will be decisive for the fate of the country: either we lose, or we win and build a free country, catching up on what has stolen from us for the 25 years of dictatorship.

What is curious: people at the meeting conveyed gratitude to the website Charter97.org for informing the town residents about the upcoming meetings with the representatives of the BNC. People noted that thanks to this they were able to peacefully gather and come to a meeting on issues that concern them.

- What conclusions can be made upon the results of the meeting in Navapolatsk?

- When we were just getting to the place, we discussed possible difficulties with our colleagues. Navapolatsk, Salihorsk, Mazyr have something in common with the “closed cities” of the Soviet era: people live there in somewhat more human conditions. Large enterprises are located there, and there is oil refining, which is one of the few that keeps afloat in Belarus.

Therefore, we had some concerns due to the fact that there may be fewer people, that there will be difficult questions, criticism. But when we saw the full hall and people who, even before the meeting, were eager to talk, shook hands, joyfully greeted us, all these fears disappeared.

This means that even in such “oases of well-being,” a kind of “Potemkin villages,” where Lukashenka would seem to have less criticism — even in such places he is hated and his departure is longed for.

Not just longed for. There were so many practical questions about the plans, about how to help the opposition, as nowhere and never before.

Yes, there was criticism in our address, but it almost immediately turned into constructive advice and the enlistment of the critic to the Belarusian National Congress. There has not been such a large number of new activists after the meeting.

I want to stress another very interesting point. Lukashenka used to “save his ass” all the time at the expense of cheap energy resources from Russia. And in the recent months, the most unpleasant events for the dictator are connected precisely with the “oil industry”. This is a tax maneuver in Russia, and dirty oil, which has leaked into the Belarusian oil pipelines and still gets there, and this is a serious breakdown at Belarusian refineries due to such oil.

And now, the main town of the Belarusian oil industry workers, Navapolatsk, has very clearly shown its attitude towards the dictator. I think that this new “black mark” is very symbolic for Lukashenka and shows that nobody supports him in the country - even people who receive more or less high salaries. Even they turned away from the dictator, he has no one to rely on.

The main question that interests almost everyone is how changes will occur. People understand that they will happen, and even in the near future, they only care about how they can participate in this.

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