My fear and loathing (part II)
Written by Alexei Navalny
(translated)
Written in solitary confinement (SHIZO) from Prokov correctional Colony, Vladmir Oblast, 11-08-2023, before transfer to IK3 ‘Polar wolf’, Kharp
Extract from My fear and loathing [i]
We often hear that the Yeltsin government could not do anything because they were opposed by the Communists in the parliament. Nevertheless, this did not prevent the mortgage auctions of 1996, but for some reason it prevented judicial reform and reform of the security services.
I hate the entire leadership of Russia, which in 1991 (after the putsch) and in 1993 (after the shooting of the parliament) had absolute power and did not even try to make obvious democratic reforms. For example, what was done in the Czech Republic (where there is now a democracy and an average salary of 1 760 euros), Poland (democracy and average salary of 1 680 euros), Estonia (democracy and an average salary of 1 810 euros), Lithuania (democracy and an average salary of 1 959 euros) and other Eastern European countries. Of course, different people were in power then. Good people, honest and sincere too. However, this tiny minority, whose desperate and unsuccessful struggle only shows us even better the corruption and shamelessness of the power elite back then.
It was not with Putin in 2011 but with Yeltsin, Chubais, oligarchs, and the entire Komsomol-party gang that called themselves «democrats» that we went not to Europe, but to Central Asia in 1994. We exchanged our European future for villas of «Tanya and Valya» on the «millionaires' island» of St. Barth. When Putin's KGB/FSB officers got free access to political posts, they didn't have to do anything. They just looked around and exclaimed in amazement: Wait, was that allowed? If the rules of the game are like this, so that it is possible to steal, lie, falsify, censor, and all courts are under our control, then we will have a pretty good turnaround here.
We let the goat in the cabbage warehouse, and then we wonder why it ate all the cabbage. It is a goat, its mission and goal is to eat cabbage, it can't think of anything else. It is useless to agitate him. Similarly, Putin's FSB official can't think of anything else but to build a huge house and imprison those they don't like. I can't stand the goat, but I hate those who let it in the cabbage warehouse.
Though, of course, I realize that it's better to not hate anyone at all, but to think about how not to do it again. Here comes my greatest fear. I don't just believe, I know that Russia will still have a chance. This is a historical process. We will again be at a crossroads….
In horror and cold sweat, I jump up in my bunk at night, when I think that we had a chance again, but we again went the same way as in the 90s. Following the «ends justify the means» sign. Where it is written in small letters: « faking elections is not always a bad thing», «look at these people, what kind of juries are they?», «it doesn't matter that he is a thief, but he is a technocrat and stands up for bicycle lanes», «give these people a free hand, they will choose anything they want», «the government is still the only European in Russia» and other wisdom of enlightened authoritarianism.
What I have written about the 90s is not a historical exercise, reflection or meaningless complaining. It is the most important and most urgent issue of political strategy for all supporters of the European path and democratic development. I was impressed by the large collection of different opinions about our investigation of Alexei Venediktov and Ksenia Sobchak. They received tens and hundreds of millions of rubles from the budget fund, which served as a common fund for the United Russia party. Venediktov received 550 million right at the time when he was in charge of the observation headquarters and directly organized the theft of votes. He was the face, the agitator, and the monitor of electronic voting, the purpose of which is to take your vote and put it in the stack of the United Russia party's candidate. The falsifications of the early electronic voting system have been thoroughly proven and are beyond any doubt…
… So, I was amazed to find a significant number of people for whom neither the elements of the scheme nor their combination are either defamatory or significant. Come on, that's bullshit.
In the year of 2023, during the repressions, imprisonments, and war, loyalty to principles is still questioned in our country and is seen by many as naive, romantic, and generally as a «white coat». Personal loyalty, corporate affiliation, and old friendships are seen by many as more important.
Don't doubt it. Tomorrow we will have a new chance — that window of opportunity, and tomorrow we will have to deal with those who think:
that elections should be canceled or falsified («God forbid extremists will be elected»).
it is okay to bribe journalists («we don't pay anyone, we just asked an oligarch we know to buy this TV channel»),
courts should be kept on the hook («or they will bribe judges and juries»),
the personnel base of the government should not be changed («they are professionals, we should not recruit people from the street»), and so on.
Up to the point that the contract for the construction of that bridge over there should be given not to a tender, but to a «reliable contractor» with whom we have been working for a long time. Those with such ideas will not be Putinists or Communists at all — they will once again call themselves democrats and liberals.
Real life is complicated, hard and full of compromises with unpleasant people. However, at least we ourselves should not become unpleasant people and welcome corruption and cynical fraud even before circumstances require compromise.
I am very afraid that the battle for principles may be lost again under the slogans of «realpolitik». Please advise me on how to get rid of this hatred and fear. I would be very interested in reading some of your thoughts on this. I'll ask for feedback to be sent to me, if there is any. For now, it seems to me, there is nothing better to do than to stay true to yourself and tirelessly explain to people with numerous examples (I highly recommend the book «Spin Dictators» by Guriev and Treisman) that democratic principles — pragmatism, independent judiciary, fair elections and equality of all before the law — are the best mechanisms of harsh real life on the way to prosperity.
Only when the vast majority of the Russian opposition consists of those who under no circumstances accept fake elections, improper judicial proceedings, and corruption, then we will be able to make the right use of the chance that will surely come again. So that no one in 2055 will be reading Sharansky's book in the SHIZO, thinking: Wow, it's just like me.
Alexei Navalny was transferred to IK3 Penal Colony in Kharp in December 2023. He died there 16-02-2024.
References
[i] https://navalny.com/p/6652/ [accessed 22-2-24 / follow link for full article]