Svetlana Alexievich: I was criticizing not Belarusians but Lukashenka's political decisions
“People are waiting for the reforms, they have accumulated energy. And we have no idea at all: only to hold on to power,” Nobel laureate commented on Belarusian president Lukashenka’s criticism of her.
“When Lukashenka congratulated me, even if he was not the first one, I was happy, because I understood: after all, he is a politician. And suddenly here this commentary, said Svetlana Alexievich at the radio station Govorit Moskva (Moscow Speaking). I think he congratulated me then, because it was time before the election, there were plenty of various international commissions and he had to “keep a stand” before his people, and now he is free.”
According to the writer, she has never criticized the Belarusian people, but only ‘political decisions of Lukashenka’.
“I think that the President should be speaking about other things now. The people are waiting for the reforms, they have accumulated energy. And we have no clear idea at all: only to retain power. If it is an insult to the Belarusian or Russian people, I do not know where and what time we live in,” said Alexievich.
During the meeting with readers in Krakow (Poland) on October 23, the writer spoke on the situation in Belarus, BelaPAN reports. She said, among other things: “In Belarus, Lukashenka stopped time. His ability is to sell his life story first to Europe then to Russia and get gas and oil. This money goes to buying food rather than investing in future, in technology. But he also stopped socialism. Factories are owned by the state. In fact, nothing has been sold, even small businesses. He retained the psychology of socialism, as he is a person with this mindset. He constantly speaks of entrepreneurs as if they were bandits, dishonest people. And there was such halt. And Belarusians have a soft version of socialism.”
Alexievich also spoke about the dependence of Lukashenka on the Russian President Vladimir Putin:
“After the Crimea affair, relations with Russia became more strained than before, although we are still a “Union State”. Lukashenka is afraid that Putin will conquer us. But you do not have to fight with Belarus. It will be just enough to turn off two taps in winter – for oil and gas – that’s all. And there will be neither Belarus or Lukashenka. So Lukashenka is completely in the hands of Putin.”
On October 24, while awarding the Russian composer and producer with Belarusian roots Viktar Drobysh with the Order of Frantsysk Skaryna during an event dedicated to him in Minsk, Lukashenka said:
“I will also speak about some of our ‘creators’, creative people, even Nobel Prize winners, who had barely received it when they left the country and tried to pour a bucket of mud on the country. This is wrong, this is not the opposition. This is absolutely wrong, because we cannot choose homeland, or parents, our mother. They are what they are. If you talk bad about homeland, if you are ashamed of it, then it is you who is a bad son.”
Belsat.eu, following govoritmoskva.ru, BelaPAN
