Yury Khashchavatski, a film director and host of Belsat TV show ‘Expert’, who is now running for parliament, has addressed voters on state-run TV channel Belarus 3. He is one of the United Civic Party candidates.
In his speech, Khaschavatsky named a few important issues often discussed by Belarusians, i.e. rise in prices, high cost of keeping the army and government officials, the police’s impunity, expensive education, poor quality of free medicine, etc.
“I am sure that every day you think about all these problems at least once, but you do nothing to change the situation. You did nothing in 1996, when [legitimate] parliament was being dispersed, you did nothing in 1999, when opposition politicians disappeared, you did nothing in the early 2000s, when Lukashenka usurped the right to be elected for life, you did nothing in 2010, when almost all presidential candidates were put in prison. And after all that you say that our opposition is weak?! It is not the opposition which is weak – you, my dear compatriots, are weak. It is high time to become strong, it is time to learn how to support each other, it is time to regain self-esteem. And our first task is to return free and fair elections which were stolen from us,” he said.
