Friday, April 20, 2007 Arinday: Russian roulette By G.H. Arinday, Jr. Sunfare
THE CRITICS or perceived enemies of the State are no longer feruled like mischievous children making fun of their teachers. They either vanished like Icarus whose waxed wings melted as he neared the Sun and fell unto the Aegean Sea or sprayed with high-caliber guns by unknown assassins and the riddle begins. The ingenuity of the law enforcers or the human rights advocates is tested and complicated by the variance of the versions given by "eyewitness" or the kin and kith of the victim.
Such evil deeds and shameless mendacity of the unknown assassins romanticized by a revolutionary background as it does happen in our country is more complex in other countries such as Russia under President Vladimir Putin, a former high-ranking intelligence officer under the former Soviet Empire, let alone his expertise as a spy but not in the mold of fiction character of Ian Fleming's James Bond.
The ramification of political killings or summary executions of the so-called militants is done with finesse in Russia today, where democracy is definitely a myth. However, what is puzzling is that the United Nations agency charged with the duty to investigate "the Russian's state mincing machines" of those perceived enemies of the State was/is and does not have any interest in conducting a "thorough" investigation as it had in our own case. The so-called senseless killings of the militants fronting some party-list groups in our Congress grabbed international attention, the presence of insurgency notwithstanding. But why it was so selective is puzzling.
The case of Anna Politkovskaya, who wrote her diary, "A Russian Diary," is an example of how outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin was bloodily "shot by a contract killer in the stairwell of her home." Before her untimely demise, she was featured worldwide in reputable dailies in all continents, including those who had the opportunity to interview her whose raw courage in exposing those who were tortured to death in rebellious Chechnya.
Not unlike in our case the summary executions are muddled by the claim that the pro-Russian faction headed by now President Ramzan Kadyrow, whom Politkovskaya described as "thuggish," was responsible for the journalist's rubout.
The difference between the Russian and Philippine summary executions is that in the former they do not have "The Garden" which our armed authorities described of the mass grave of the "infiltrators" or "deep penetrating agents" (DPA) executed by the dyed-in-the-wool adherents of the Marxist-Stalinist-Maoist New People's Army.
The recent news dispatch from Putin's "democracy" was the arrest and investigation of some critics and prominent citizens. Among them is Gary Kasparov, a world-class and former chess champion. How Putin and his ever eager agents or police investigators handled this situation would certainly create a universal furor and place the Russian President on the spotlight and how would this situation affect his bid for "reelection"?
Suddenly there was a news blackout on chess icon's investigation and it is surmised that Kremlin feared of an international backlash. The radar screen is fuzzy.
Culled from various analysis dished out by Kremlin watchers, Putin's "paranoid", although still a popular figure in Russia's politics, he is often quick to apply the mailed-fist policy of quelling any form of demonstration. For instance, he immediately sent some 20,000 riot police to stop a miniscule of 150 anti-Putin protests. The Russian media often echoes Putin's policies without any question.
It is back to the pre-Soviet Empire fall, when President Putin's secret agents are often on the prowl under the cover of darkness. One of Putin's obsessions is to have Ukraine under his knuckles, including
Belarus.
Two major Ukraine political leaders, pro-Russian Prime Minister Victor Yanukoych and pro-Western President Victor Yuschenko are vying for people's support. But the pro-Russian prime minister recently abolished the parliament.
One outstanding leader, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who figured in the 2004 Orange Revolution, akin to our own People Power, has come to aid the pro-Western President Victor Yuschenko, whom she formerly criticized as having "betrayed the principles of the Orange Revolution". It sounds familiar, isn't it?
Russian wants to make Ukraine its vassal as the latter is dependent on the former's oil. It is conceded that about 30% of the Ukrainians want to return to their "Soviet past", knowledge of the prime minister's past of having been supported by the "shadowy business clans notwithstanding". Familiar again, isn't not?
The presence of both Western and Russian interests in Ukraine may yet revive the Cold War irrespective of the results of the elections. It was pointed out by the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko-who could be the counter part of our own Cory Aquino-that they, Ukrainians, have no future if they go back to the past (that is living again under the ideals of Soviet Union).
It would not be surprising if business interests from both the West and Russia would play the vital role in determining the election results. Nevertheless, criticisms on President Vladimir Putin would yield dire consequences. With the rebellion in Chechnya, though still sputtering in remote areas, Putin was able to put his own puppet president that Orange Revolutionist Tymoshenko labeled as a "gangster".
In the meantime, Putin's hard-hitting critics are no longer heard or can be found. So what else's new in the power struggle?
