Chess player Garry Kasparov blames Putin for destroying democracy in Russia

Pravda.ru ^ | 09/16/2004

[Lukasz]

The European and Russian governments are living in two different worlds

"Business is politics in up-to-date Russia. The government controls all aspects of the nation's life and the commercial field is not an exception," the chairman of the committee "2008: Free Choice", Grand Master Garry Kasparov said on September 13th at the Baltic Forum of Development in Hamburg. Below you can find excerpts from the chess player's speech.

"We must draw a distinction between the current Russian leadership and the citizens of Russia. The rich culture, creativity, the knowledge and humanity of our nation is still alive and means a lot more to the world than the whole Russian oil," Kasparov said. "High oil prices make the only support for Putin's regime. Citizens of other oil-extracting countries do not derive profit from the oil wealth. Both oil and all other natural resources of Russia should have their own markets and open ways to reach those markets."

Garry Kasparov believes that Russia should unite with Europe. "This union would be important to the Russian nation for social and economic reasons. The traditions of the European democracy and the relative economic stability will help Russia become a modern state. However, Putin's regime mixes up the past and the present. A lot of Russia's neighbors are still being suspicious about Russia, and they have reasons for it. An order in the past is necessary for the future progress. The European and Russian governments are living in two different worlds," Kasparov stated in Hamburg.

"One of the examples to prove it is the fact how our media outlets defend the notorious pact of 1939 between Nazis and Soviets. The USSR attacked Finland because of the pact, it invaded the Baltic republics, occupied a part of Poland and assisted in unleashing WWII. Russia needs to acknowledge the crimes of its Soviet predecessors.

"The avowal of guilt is a good spiritual remedy, which also means the acknowledgement of universal moral values, which the Kremlin currently rejects. One of these values is the ability to find common language. Putin's administration does not know how to speak this language.

"The Soviet past still dominates the Russian reality and politics. Putin is aware of that. In his address to the nation after the hostage crisis in Beslan, the president said that the nation is living under the conditions, which have been created with the collapse of a great state, which proved to be helpless in the changing world. It would be the same to say that you have been living in a house without the water supply system," Kasparov said.

"The Soviet Union could not and cannot be a part of modern Europe. It could become a part of Europe only with its conquests. We must distinguish between modern Russia that we need and the Soviet past that Putin is trying to retrieve.

"There is no place for Committee 2008 and the real opposition in the Russian press. However, there is a place for nationalists and Stalinists, who grieve about that "great state." They decline basic democratic values. These talks about the return to the erstwhile glory are becoming more frequent now. The Nazi propaganda is prohibited in Germany, but not in Russia," Kasparov said.

"Unfortunately, this is not the only aspect, in which Putin exercises himself as a Stalinist. He talks about everything in the old Soviet language. He suppresses freedom of speech, freedom of commerce, he has led Russia astray.

"Putin announced that he would cancel elections of regional governors as a measure to struggle against terrorism. Local parliamentarians will have to approve the selected nominees. Putin is destroying democracy at the time when we need it most. Western politicians might say that the Russian Constitution technically allows it. However, if the West keeps silent, we will most likely witness similar changes happening in the presidential election procedure.

"Even the national lucrative oil market does not function according to the standards of the civilized world. The scandal with Yukos and its CEO, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has exerted a destructive influence on the economy.

"It is impossible for Europe to deal with the current Russian administration. Europe should press on Putin for changes. One should not let Putin mix the Soviet past with the Russian future in an attempt to keep the relations.

"Schroeder and Chirac are using double standards instead, which brings a lot of harm to the Russian nation. It is not time for Realpolitik. Each meeting of the Group of Seven with Putin's participation is perceived as the approval of Putin's home policy.

[A. Pole]

Bad thing is that it isn’t good for Russia and Russians

Do you want Russia to be a strong and prosperous country or do you prefer Russia to follow Serbia? If the first support Putin, if the second call for Yugoslavia like approach from the West, for support for Muslim extremists and help for "reform minded oligarchs".

[steve-b]

I thought this was a conservative forum.

Well, geez, how did you expect people on a "conservative forum" to respond to old Commie apparatchik? Throw bouquets?

Sheesh....

[MarMema]

So let the chess liberal move to France, where he can settle in happily among the atheists and the coming islamic rule.
I suppose that will make him happier, all that "freedom".

[lizol]

Maybe he doees.

I agree, that the internal structure of Russian state is a Russian problem only. But I just can't figure out, how cancelation of elections of regional governors and replacing them with presidential nominees "approved" by local parliamentarians is supposed to be a measure to struggle against terrorism.

I also agree, that the Russians can choose any form of government they want, and they can give to Putin any range of power they want. And it is also their problem.

But - do we really have to call it democracy anymore???

[Luis Gonzalez]

Pravda</>

Putin launches unconstitutional coup d'etat

09/14/2004 19:17

While using the war on terrorism as a mere excuse, Russian president Vladimir Putin has decided to strengthen his personal powers.

President's newly-developed plan entails that governors should no longer be elected by those people who live in the regions, but by delegates instead. President himself will provide the candidates. Political analysts are skeptical as to the fact that such drastic measures will aid to combat terrorism; they also doubt that such measures have in fact been conducted in accordance with the Constitution.

The other day, during a government"s meeting Vladimir Putin has made the following statement: "To ensure unity of the governmental authorities and a step-by-step development of federalism it is important that the Federation and its units will act together in the formation of executive governmental bodies on the territory of the Russian Federation. In this regard, I assume that high-ranking officials of the units of the Russian Federation will ought to be elected by Legislative Assemblies of those territories."

Some critics have already announced last night that those amendments to the system proposed by the president regarding regional elections appear to be contradictory to the Russian Constitution. Independent delegate of the State Duma Vladimir Ryzhkov states that Putin"s initiative deviates from the resolution passed by the Constitutional Court on 18 January 1996 according to which election of a high-rank official of any unit of the Federation by delegates of a regional parliament contradicts the Constitution. Back then, the court constituted that head of a region had to acquire his mandate from residents.

Georgy Satarov, head of the INDEM Fund states: "Thing is, Putin"s proposition concerns not only his personal relationships with the governors. There exists another, perhaps quite meaningless for Mr. Putin, but surely important detail as the Russian citizens. 55th clause of the Constitution clearly states no law significantly diminishing citizens" rights can be adopted in Russia. It appears obvious first of all that Putin simply robs Russian people of their right to vote. Second of all, there is a fundamental 3rd clause of the Russian Constitution that reads that all authority in the country belongs to the Russian people: they exercise it through delegates or by means of a referendum. It used to be that people had exercised their power through their representatives i.e. governors. But it appears that the president intends to remove them and suggest that those governors and heads of the republics became representatives of the president himself, not the people. Finally, Constitution also mentions that Russia is a federative state. Putin and the governors possess different mandates; Putin has a federal mandate, whereas the governors possess a mandate to manage Federal units. And this is where the mix up occurs, which inevitably leads to the destruction of federalism.

This is a drastic change of the country"s political system in general which will quite obviously result in rather unexpected consequences. This is in fact an unconstitutional upheaval if you want."

A source from the president"s administration presumes that the new election system will take effect only after terms of acting governors expires.
According to another source, the new system poses certain risks for Federal government and for the president. "Whereas today governors are held responsible for the situation in the regions, afterward, all those problems will strike the president  directly," states the source. "As far as politics go, this move may have negative consequences for Federal government and the president in the long run."

[CWOJackson]

Putin has been publicly bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union for several years. Now that ex-KGB agent is taking the steps necessary to remove popular elections and restore power to an all powerful central committee again.

The Evil Empire Part II does no one any favors, the Russians or the world.

[MarMema]

People here have trouble with this it seems.

Watch out art

"Russia is in the midst of a rollback of free expression that goes far deeper than the Kremlin's well-known crackdown on independent news media. In the realm of art and literature, in fact, it's all-out war. Religious and political activists have become increasingly vocal—and sometimes violent—in attacking the work of artists, singers and writers they perceive to be offensive. Among the most vocal is the 80-million-member Russian Orthodox Church, which some say has begun to behave like the censors of the old Soviet era. "These artists are rotten, disease-carrying bacteria, and society is using antigens to fight them off," says Father Tikhon Shevkunov, a powerful church leader (and President Vladimir Putin's spiritual adviser) who backs the offensive against "Watch Out: Religion" and its "blasphemy." The new intolerance is not limited to Moscow. Last month, in largely Muslim Dagestan, a group of imams pressured the local government into canceling a concert by Boris Moiseyev. Orthodox protesters picketed another Moiseyev concert in Siberia. Why? The popular 50-year-old singer is openly gay, and neither the Russian Orthodox Church nor Russia's Muslim clerics can abide his flaunting it."

"Russian courts seem to be colluding in the crackdown. In April a Moscow court banned "The Book of Monotheism," an 18th-century Muslim tract, on the ground that it promotes fundamentalist Wahhabism. The book falls on the wrong side of the "need to find a balance between freedom of speech and national security," says one Kremlin adviser on religious affairs."

"Perhaps Russian liberals expected too much in the way of free expression after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After all, ordinary Russians generally weren't ready for the onslaught of pornography, television violence and inflammatory literature that emerged after communism."

If this is the kind of "freedom" you desire to have, then don't move to Russia. Personally I like the "freedoms" they are limiting.

[Lukasz]

This is correct. And sooner the mobsters like him go to jail for good the better.

In Russia every rich guy is a thief, Putin tolerate only those which don’t want to be a politicians as well. If he would be really so fair, every single Russian “businessmen” would be in jail now.

[lizol]

And they also close down TV stations and newspapers that are not willing to "cooperate" with the government.

And they also shut down huge companies and inprison its owners - to take them over.

And they also restrain independence of judiciary.

Pure conservatism, indeed.

[MarMema]

Putin has been publicly bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union for several years.

Prove it.

[MarMema]

Yes they kicked out Soros and cracked down on mafia criminals who made a killing on the backs of the Russian people.

Then some liberal media played it up in a very familiar victim mode and half the US population bought into it.

Dumbed down schools I suppose.

[Lukasz]

While using the war on terrorism as a mere excuse, Russian president Vladimir Putin has decided to strengthen his personal powers.

That is the point!

[struwwelpeter]

True.

The intelligentsiya is never happy, no matter who's in charge. Not surprized to hear Kasparov isn't excited about Putin.

[CWOJackson]

Prove it?

There have been numerour threads posted on FR if you are actually interested; all it requires is a simple search. Or if you really want to be shocked Google Putin + Soviet.

[MarMema]

If he would be really so fair, every single Russian “businessmen” would be in jail now.

As if you know so much. Armchair critics.....go back to football or send some money to your liberal chess friend.

One of my closest friends in Russia is a prosecutor. You think it's easy to completely transform a country and take on huge, powerful, mafia leaders - they should do it all in the same week, right.

Guess the US is completely free of these mafia leaders even as we speak. Not. Take a look at what the Albanians are doing in Michigan and ask the police there why they don't have it completely under control in just a few months.

[lizol]

All right, but why Chodorkovski is the only one???
Isn't it because he announced some time ago, that he wanted do start political activity - against Putin?

Believe me, I'm not any kind of Chodorkovski's fan, but all those things that are going on in Russia just smell not very nice to me.

Fortunately - it's not my problem (so far, unless the Big Bear doesn't wake up to look for some more food around).

[MarMema]

His remarks hinted at US unease that Mr Putin could use the "war on terror" to roll back post-Soviet reform.

Blah, blah, blah. I heard Condi Rice interviewed by KVI, Seattle, on conservative radio here just two days ago. She praised Russia highly and said we were having complete cooperation with them in the WOT.

So whose viewpoint were you posting, CNN?

[Lukasz]

So let the chess liberal move to France, where he can settle in happily among the atheists and the coming islamic rule. I suppose that will make him happier, all that "freedom".

Religion don’t have anything to do in this theme. Beside of that Putin is not religious man he is the former KGB agent! It was totally unreligious organization.

[MarMema]

So you support Boris Yeltsin, the former crime mobster leader, and Gorbachev, an avid liberal?

DU is available on the internet. This, however, is a conservative forum.

[MarMema]

Beside of that Putin is not religious man he is the former KGB agent!

Beside of that, you obviously don't read too well. Try googling Putin and Orthodox Christian. Even Christianity Today has interviewed Putin. You're a tad behind, try moving into this decade or even the last to catch up.