Opinions & Interviews

Expert: People’s Unity Day in Belarus reflects actual reunification of people

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MINSK, 9 September (BelTA) - Vyacheslav Danilovich, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture, and Science of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, explained what sets People’s Unity Day in Belarus apart from similar holidays in other countries in the latest episode of BelTA’s project The Nation Speaks. 

According to the expert, the 17 September date is rooted in the real reunification of the Belarusian people and the restoration of their unity. “This is a very important point. For any state that thinks about its future, it is very important to preserve the unity of its people. How can it be preserved? Why did interwar Poland collapse as a state? The People’s Congress in Bialystok unanimously voted for the reunification of Western Belarus with the BSSR, and among the delegates there were not only Belarusians, but also 127 Poles and people of other nationalities. They unanimously voted for reunification. Why? Because the Polish state in the interwar period was not socially just. It defended the interests of only the wealthy elite of its society and state. As a result, quite a lot of Poles were dissatisfied with the government in power. Therefore, in my view, it is very important that Belarus is a socially oriented state. We know how to learn lessons from our history,” Vyacheslav Danilovich said.

He noted that unity must be based on social justice and equal opportunities provided by the state. “We need to move in this direction and not lose the connection between the government and the people. This is also one of the key elements of unity that we attach to the meaning of this holiday. When the authorities become detached from the people, they begin to think only about their own interests and benefits. The fate of such a state is a sad one. Take the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: the gentry forgot where it came from and went down the path of Polonization, which eventually ended with the collapse of the state. The Soviet party elite, starting with the Khrushchev years, became increasingly detached from the people. How did the Soviet Union end? With its collapse. Therefore, unity is a multifaceted and multidimensional concept. We see this multifaceted and multidimensional nature. In my view, this is the key distinction of our People’s Unity Day. It is imbued with profound meaning,” he stressed.

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