The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 25 2005
Armenian paper deplores “Orange babble”
Armenian newspaper Aravot (Morning) reports that the president of
Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has divided the mass media into two
categories: acceptable and propagandistic.
He thinks that six Belarus publications as well as the Russian
newspaper Izvestia, Voice of America, and Radio Liberty should be
included in a black list. However he recommends reading the newspaper
Soviet Belarus, one of the founders of which is the presidential
administration.
The Armenian paper writes that there is nothing surprising in this
because this is the disposition of the dictatorship of Lukashenko’s
government.
The paper compares this dictatorship to the new Ukrainian president
Victor Yushchenko, who prohibited high-ranking officials from
visiting bathhouses, to hunt and to have houses abroad. The new
president also ordered high-ranking officials who live outside the
capital to move to the center.
“The goal is to work more effectively and not to close the roads for
an hour while they are going to work from their country estates,” the
paper reports.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Timoshenko also ordered that lights
be turned off at 10:00 pm in all state institutions. According to
her, officials should have some sleep and not work all night as this
reduces their effectiveness. Yushchenko also prohibited high-ranking
officials from dealing in business.
“What should the people do if they are prohibited to bathe in
bathhouses, to hunt or even live outside in the country, in the
suburbs?” the paper asks.
According to Aravot, Yushchenko has chosen the old Bolshevic method
to govern the country. “He does not distinguish himself from
Lukashenko at all, only by the fact that Lukashenko does not declare
himself a democrat. This is pure babble when they order people when
to sleep, where to live and when to go to the bath. Anyway, this has
nothing in common with democracy,” the paper states.