We, representatives of the nongovernmental sector of Belarus, realizing our responsibility for the destiny of the society and state, apply to the participants of the Congress of Democratic Forces (CDF) and representatives of the civil society of Belarus and declare our refusal to participate in the CDF and support its organizers.

At the moment, our support of the CDF is impossible for following reasons:

1. The idea of CDF itself and the process of its organization are appropriated by a number of political parties’ leaders, who have performed several gross political blunders that discredit them as politicians and people devoted to the democratic values.
2. The organizers of the CDF promote only one point of the agenda – elections of the single candidate from democratic forces. However, the dominant position in political campaign is not a figure or person of “the single candidate” in presidential election of 2006, but the decision making center, “staff” or “shadow cabinet”. At the same time the questions of the creation and work of such a “staff” in the project of “the single candidate” are moved aside, and the only thing that is proposed for the CDF delegates is the confirmation of the earlier compiled roll.
3. There was no any other discussion, organized by political parties, of approaches alternative to the project of “the single candidate”, and the attempts to do it from the other subjects were blocked up by them in every way possible.
4. As in 2001, the organizers of the CDF in their activity continue to be guided not by in-country situation, but the recommendations of external “experts” and donors working for Belarus. In such a way their activity is focused only on support of functioning of already existing political opposition structures and a number of donor institutions.
5. “The single candidate” project does not set the goal to win and change the situation in 2006. The analysis of activity of its organizers leads us to conclusion that in present form the project does not provide for the result that solely suits us as the representatives of “the third sector”, namely: declining the threat to disappear of the civil society structures as such.

We value our reputation as public leaders and we could not permit ourselves to support of unreasoned, goalless and foreseeing only imitation of activity programs and projects.

We understand the necessity of integration of all followers of democratic changes in Belarus around single political actor. However, such an actor could not be nominated more (as in 2001) or less (as in 2005) by lobby from the narrow circle of politicians. Capable leaders and the best strategic solutions should be selected on the basis of free competition of people and ideas. So it is a time to break the taboo of sharp criticism for the mistakes in the oppositional environment and to stop to secure irresponsibility and monopoly for ideas under the pretence that the unity should be preserved.

Will to win, intellectual and organizational resources, openness, honesty and consecution – the actor, able to consolidate democratic forces and to win over representatives of civil society, should possess all the mentioned features. At the same time “the single candidate” quite may be constituent part of that an actor, but under definite circumstances it can happened that he will not be that part.

We are ready to support those subjects in the political field of Belarus, that will meet the following requirements:

1. In their decisions they must be guided by their own program of activity, by the in-country support and resources, but not by the priorities and opinions of foreign donors.

2. They should cut down any attempts to transfer the program of political activity in the “business project” format, and in this context discontinue the practice of payments for political actions and civil activity manifestations as destructive for social basis of belarusian democratic movement.

3. They must bend every effort to attracting of allies and winning of confidence of civil society and leave aside personal antipathies and narrow-group interests, take the decisive steps for bringing wide and substantial communication, discussion and dialog among the allies of changes.

4. They must provide advent to active political life new bright persons that will contribute to changing of generations in stagnant political field.

We consider also that different participants of political processes are obliged to perform formal agreements, and that it is necessary to use sanctions for its nonobservance just as for nonobservance the other public obligations.

We propose to subscribe to this declaration those representatives of civil society of Belarus, which support our requirements.

Tatiana Poshevalova
Irina Sukhij
Irina Belaja
Janina Zinchenko
Piter Dzerzhinski
Svetlana Koroliova
Viktor Andreev
Ulad Velichka
Anatolij Shvecov
Galina Veremejchik
Elena Yurkovska
Alexander Feduta
Frants Avdzei
Antonina Yelistratova
Denis Gil
Andew Yegorov