Guardian on Putin's speech

[Elena Gapova]

Dear Philippe,

I agree, that there is room for comment. I am not an expert on Russian
politics or a supporter of Putin (nor a Russian citizen), but there is a
reason why so many people in Russia do support him (and they really do, and
"brainwashing" does not seem to be the reason).

It seems that most of the things you mention (dedovshchina, or oligarchs, or
murders of businessmen) started long before Putin - during that period of
the postcommunist "redistribution of property", when "democracy" was full,
complete, overwhlming etc. One could say or write or proclaim whatever - and
had problems with how to put food on the table, and senior citizens were
looking for bread in the garbage bins, and we saw homeless children for the
first time since WWII. There was as much freedom as there could be, and it
was called democracy - but that time and regime was shavefully, enormously,
unbelievably inhuman - and for this very reason, undemocratic. That's what
is ususally meant when people say, that they have been fed up with
"democracy". This phrase has a very concrete meaning. It does not mean that
the Russian people do not want to be the masters of their own destinies, but
rather that for millions (really, millions) that was the time of losing, not
gaining, control over their own lives.

It seems that with Putin things are becoming a tiny bit better, and that he
has been trying to change that huge machine of theft and crime that was
created during Eltsyn, slowly, but steadily. If he "puts" Kadyrov as the
head of Chechnya, then might it be, that he has no choice but to put someone
who can control the territory and "dogovarivat'sya" with all those powers
that are at play there, for otherwise the situation is pregnant with still
another war. And it is during Putin's time that some of the dedovshchina
cases, and some of the oligarchs, finally made their way to court (not all,
of course).

All this is probably about - well, not deepening, but at least starting - a
democratic order. An important part of democracy is how money is spent and
that no one is hungry.

I am completely aware (polnost'yu otdayu sebe otchet) of what I have
written, and if somebody had told me in 1991 that I would be writing smth
like this in 2007, I probaly would have spat in the person's face.

Elena Gapova



-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU]On Behalf Of FRISON Philippe
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 12:01 PM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Guardian on Putin's speech


Sadly enough, there is room for comments...

The mere assertion that putin "has stabilised, if not deepend Rsusian
democracy" shuold be questioned.

The appointement of Ramzan Kadyrov as Chechnya's acting President whereas he
should be judged in jailed for all the crimes he ordered and perpetrated
himself in Tsentoroy is really a great achievement of Russian democracy...

The Trepashkin's and Khodorkovsky's (and other new dissidents') condamnation
is also a great achievement of Russia's justice system....

The dedovshchina's system within the armed forces (with the cases of rank
file military being tortured and loosing his genitals as a result is a
testimony of the restoration of armed forces respectful of Russain citizens'
dignity.

Putin is now preparing the democratic election of KGB general Ivanov or
Putin' administration chief Medvedev (and ruining Kasparov's campaining
efforts to stay as candidate), which will be a great achievement of
democratic Russian elections (but certainly not by Western standards), .

Even to mean that Putin has restored law and order in Russia is a definite
distortion of reality, see Anna Politkovskaya's murder and the so far
"unccessful inquiry" in the case and the numerous economical murders
committed in Russia as a whole and crimes committed without any prosecution
in Chechnya and Northern Caucasus.

Putin has retored Russia's economical position in the world in the
interested of oligarchs supporting him and his clique...
I am not quite sure common people in Ryazan or elsewhere in the province get
much of this wealth...

Philippe Frison (Strasbourg, France)

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