Heorhi Dzmitruk: We Have Unique Opportunity Right Now
- 12.02.2024, 14:28
The co-chairman of the BCD told how activists managed to regain the party.
The congress of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party took place in Warsaw on Saturday. A number of decisions were made at the congress.
In particular, former co-chairs Vital Rymasheuski and Volha Kavalkova, as well as former executive secretary Dzianis Sadouski and former head of the Mahiliou regional organization of the BCD Aleh Aksionau were expelled from the party.
The website Charter97.org asked the co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Heorhi Dzmitruk to tell more about the congress and what the party is like today:
— Most of the members of our party are in Belarus. Some were forced to leave the country and are abroad. We began to actively establish horizontal connections and formed an office that is engaged in consolidating internal party processes.
Some of the comrades from our leadership, having gone abroad, began to mind their own affairs and participate in personal projects. They disconnected from the party and continued their political careers within the framework of many other organizations and initiatives: “kotos”, “trade unions” and so on. In general, the party went its own way, and they went theirs.
This came into great contradiction. We tried to somehow stop them, ask for reporting, but it was all ignored. There was a conflict that ended a year ago, when we gave them a vote of no confidence.
In order to consolidate this decision, we held a congress (which is the highest authority in the party) and almost unanimously voted to expel them from the party. The party's controllability has returned. This is what concerns the internal base of the BCD.
Our party also reacts to current political events. We have resolutions, for example, on the recognition of Belarus as an occupied state, and on Belarus’ desire to join the European integration processes and NATO.
— How to work with Belarusians abroad today? It’s no secret that people are moving away from politics and are more busy with their own affairs.
— We took the path of establishing immediate horizontal connections between activists. We established contact and worked with those who came to Poland and other countries at different times: calls, seminars, political decisions. We try to respond to everything that happens in the Belarusian political segment. Such painstaking work is being done. Thank God we have many active people. Those who want to work, but dedicate part of their time to party affairs.
By the way, many delegates and guests came to the recent congress. We, as a political party, act openly and not behind the scenes. I hope that this congress will be a turning point. It legitimized our management, built all our connections and indicated where to develop and what to do in the near future.
— You have already mentioned that the Belarusian Christian Democracy advocates the integration of Belarus into the EU and NATO. Explain your position in more detail.
— Firstly, we understand that Belarus is Europe, built on Christian principles, which long ago became universal. Due to the fact that the BCD is an ideological party, Europe and its methods are closer to us.
Secondly, the methods and ideas that come from the East are extremely dangerous. This applies not only to direct military intervention, but also to hybrid intervention, control, manipulation, lies, and behind-the-scenes intrigue. This position is ideologically unacceptable to us. We are a democratic party, we carry democracy as part of our strategy.
I will say that now we have a unique opportunity to train many activists who know how to fight the regime, but do not have political skills. We are actively doing this, working with new people.