"Mopping up operation" in the State Duma Declaration of the leadership of People’s Patriotic Union of Russia

In At the disposal of PRAVDA.Ru is the declaration of the People’s Patriotic Union of Russia concerning events connected with the lower house of the Duma.

The third State Duma has long ago lost its face. The aggressively obedient majority of deputies, who recently consisted of four factions, who have turned into “six of the Kremlin,” passed laws corresponding with interests of oligarchs at the expense of the majority of the people.

- it supported carrying out “municipal reform” that will cause increasing of municipal service prices and dispossession of poor people of passable flats;

- it seriously eased the removal of capital abroad instead of restricting it. After this, the state budget does not have enough money to pay salaries, pensions, and benefit;

- it reduced taxes for rich people and practically increased them for poor people. The country should thank the president and the Duma’s “six” for increasing prices of medicine, textbooks, flats, public transportation tickets;

- it abolished most of tax privileges for disabled persons and in this way many people lost their jobs;

- it approved of the Labour Code, which infringes upon rights of pensioners, women with children, workers of small-scale business and restricts rights of trade unions;

- it supported the sale of lands in cities and it is ready to sell out agricultural lands which are probably the main richness of Russia;

- it abolished the most important privileges of military;

- after the president and government, it refused from even a partly independent course of foreign policy and obediently bows to international and especially American capital, while betraying national interests of the country.

State Duma committees led by deputies of people’s and patriotic orientation were the last obstacle for this policy. This is the reason why such reprisals are being committed against us. Communists and their allies are being deprived of their right to lead the Duma’s committees and, therefore, to influence the state’s policy. According to them, they do it to increase the effectiveness of the Duma’s work. However, this is a lie. For example, in the State Duma, you can't find more professional economists than Yury Maslyukov, chairman of the Committee on Industry, Economical Policy and Science Intensive Technologies, and Sergei Glazyev, chairman of the Committee on Economical Policy and Enterprise. All influential professional associations – Trade Union of Education and Science Workers, Russian Association of Student Trade Union, Russian Union of Rectors, Russian Education Academy, Union of Special Educational Institutions Directors, Nobel Prize laureate Zhores Alferov and others – were against the displacement of Ivan Melnikov, chairman of Education and Science Committee. The question is not only about political sanctions and not only about aspirations for certain posts, but often about lobby interests of the anti-patriotic capital and of criminal groups connected with it. A definitive mopping up of Russia democratic institutions is being carried out by pseudo-democrats. The Russian government is practically subordinate to Chubais and “the family.” The Federation Council has been practically annihilated as an authoritative and independent house of the regions. The State Duma has turned into a stamp that automatically stamps any proposals of the government and of the president's administration. In this situation, deputies representing the People’s Patriotic Union of Russia, the CPRF faction, and the Agro-industrial Group declare the following:

1. In contrast to the gentlemen from "right-wing" factions, we do not intend to boycott the State Duma. We care about the leading chairs. However, we intend to do our best to defend the interests of our electorate. Moreover, we refuse the leading posts “generously” left to us by “the Kremlin’s six.”

2. We turn to strict policy of the opposition of the aggressively obedient majority of the State Duma, while all our efforts will be aimed at the explanation of its criminal and oligarch course to the people. 3. We will create a shadow cabinet of People’s Patriotic Union of Russia, while not simply criticizing every step of the government, but offering better, alternative ways of solving problems in favour of the majority of people.

From now on, the president, the government subordinate to him, and the thoughtless voting majority of the Duma are responsible for the course that is being carried out. Deputies representing the People’s Patriotic Union, communist faction, and Agro-industrial Group will be henceforth faithful to their electorate, to their pre-election promises, and to their country.

Chairman of People’s Patriotic Union of Russia, Leader of CPRF faction Gennady Zyuganov

Leader of Agroindustrial Deputy Group Nikolai Kharitonov

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/03/39221.html