From the
Mendeleyev Journal:
Are Medvedev and Putin captains on the Titanic?The presence of true and respected opposition is an important part of democracy. Any legitimate government needs an opposition and not just a "managed opposition" effort existing solely for the sake of appearances. Despite what some may fear, efforts of true opposition are a good sign of progress and the long term prospects for freedom in the former Soviet sphere.
Grassroots opposition is building within Russia and appears young and very creative as well. We all remember the story of the Titanic, that grand "unsinkable" ship that sank on its maiden voyage. White true that most of us don't remember the actual event, the sinking of the Titanic happened on 15 April 1912, the movie has made the event very real for following generations.
In a current posting of popular sites such as LiveJournal, Facebook, vkontake and Youtube, a short video version of the Титаник (Titanic) has surfaced and this time Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev have replaced Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the two who stand on the bridge of a sinking Russia.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypI1O79ftmM[/youtube]
Creators of the video say the Титаник (Titanic) represents a symbol of what is happening to their country. In their view a wealthy elite class has stolen Russia's wealth and the presence of the ruling party United Russia and Putin's latest creation of the "All-Russia Popular Front" serve as nothing more than window dressing according to this new generation of Russian voters.
Legitimate opposition keeps the other side at least somewhat honest. But yet the allowance for opposing voices remains a difficult thing in Russia. The Justice Ministry banned PARNAS, the Party of People’s Freedoma, from participating in the upcoming elections. Keep in mind that PARNAS is not some group of extremists, rather it is a center-right opposition party, founded by well-known democratic politicians including former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, former Duma Vice Chairman Vladimir Ryzhkov and others. PARNAS is a legitimate movement, neither radical nor violent, yet it has essentially been sidelined by fiat.
Russia is in so many ways a great country inhabited by a great people. Thus it seems likely that a true representative democracy yet awaits Russia. Likely it will be nurtured by the young and the creative.
