Mintimer Shaimiev: ‘People started asking me: what about the procession? Is it permitted by law?’
The sixth Forum of the National and Regional Mass Media started on 1 July. It gathered heads and journalists of specialised newspapers from the whole country. State Advisor Mintimer Shamiev was the main speaker of the event who delivered his speech and told about an upcoming Perestroika in Russia, urged people to preserve and reconstruct cultural and historical values and talked about the 'anti-terrorist Yarovaya package'. A correspondent of Realnoe Vremya listened to Shaimiev's speech together with the guests of the forum.
100,000 rubles as a prize for journalists and a lecture given by ex-Minister
On the third say of the forum, the participants were invited to the plenary session whose main topic was the coverage of the national matters in the mass media. Journalistic award for 'Prestige of Skilled Professions and Engineering Specialities' was a pleasant end of the meeting in Korston. Mass media workers were given not only commendations and statuettes but also money prizes from 20 to 100,000 rubles.
It should be noted that Vladimir Zorin, a member of the Presidential Council of Interethnic Relations, who prepared a whole lecture about the work of the national mass media, chairwoman of the Union of Journalists of Tatarstan Rimma Ratnikova, head of Tatmedia agency Ayrat Zaripov and chairwoman of the of Guild of Interethnic Journalism were among the main speakers on the plenary session. Naturally, the event with such a topic could not help but have the first President of Tatarstan and today's State Councillor of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev.
'Perestroika is a revolution'
The speakers of the session had an opportunity to talk to the public sitting at specially prepared comfortable armchairs. However, Mintimer Shaimiev decided to deliver his speech from the rostrum. It explained his respect towards the invited guests.
'You came here to talk about urgent problems that very often appear in your work. We need to welcome our guests with dignity and open face. And we also had a desire to look at you,' Shaimiev explained.
The State Advisor noted that now the mass media is going through a very uneasy road because of a Perestroika that began in our country and society.
'Perestroika is what we had, it's a revolution. It is a change of the social structure, the structure of the economy. These years are very tough. A break in the social structure cannot be painless. Those who experienced it suffered from it. I am not speaking about ordinary people only, I possibly especially mean the intelligentsia. Every revolution affects the intelligentsia,' Shaimiev told. 'We had a revolution followed by long repressions, the Second World War, reconstruction of the city that was destroyed after so many victims. We had to recover. Then the uneasy Perestroika years began.'
The State Advisor also was impressed with the work of the Russian journalists who cover national and regional topics. According to him, all civilised countries should follow their example.
'Why not? It is experience gained during centuries. We have different religions and ethnicities. Russia is possibly the most difficult federative state in the world. There are some federative countries, but the Russian history has ethnicities who have their own historical lands, territories and customs… It is impossible to not to take it into account,' Shaimiev stated.
Cultural heritage
Preservation of the cultural heritage of ethnicities was another topic mentioned by Mintimer Shaimiev. He came to indirectly having reminded all people who were present about the hunger in the region.
'When you see people's faces – their faces change, they even talk quieter, even kids talk quieter. They walk around the Kremlin amazed – you need to see it.' Photo: Roman Khasaev
'I use a very simple formula, which is well-known by our journalists. I'm ready to repeat it. Today bread lies on every table. But you were told, somebody even experienced a period when this meal was not there. In spring, rotten potatoes were dug out if there were some. Here we add: we have a roof above our heads. Bread is on the table, roof is above our heads – it is what not all people had. Now we want to have more food on our tables and a better roof – it is also correct, finally these aspirations are a locomotive of the progress,' Shaimiev informed. 'But I want to tell the following thing to the whole Russian society: we need to preserve and reconstruct our cultural and historical values. I will city Dmitry Likhachev who said: 'Loss in nature can be reconstructed to some extent. It is possible to clear polluted rivers and seas, it is possible to restore forests and cattle if a well-known limit has not been crossed yet, of course. It is possible if this or that breed of animals has not been destroyed, this or that species of plants has not died. The situation of architectural monuments is different. Their loss cannot be reconstructed because a cultural monument is always individual, it is always connected with a certain period and certain masters. Every monument is destroyed for ever'.
According to Mintimer Shaimiev, the mentality of people changes together with preservation of cultural heritage – they become full of spirituality.
'When we started to work on the Kazan Kremlin, everybody started to look for his or her history: what gravestones existed in a certain place, about people… In brief, the whole republic was excited,' Shaimiev stated. 'When we reconstructed the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Kazan Kremlin and Kul Sharif Mosque… Every day I come there to work and leave. When you see people's faces – their faces change, they even speak in a quiet voice, even kids spoke in a quiet voice. They walk around the Kremlin amazed – you need to see it. Having seen it, you are glad about the work we started. It cannot be forgotten, this spirituality is forever.'
I think if you don't like people, you should not be in power'
During his speech, Mintimer Shaimiev decided to mention the 'anti-terrorist Yarovaya package' again. He spoke about it quite bluntly during the final session of the State Council of Tatarstan. The speaker assured the guests any clear-headed person supports the law that strengthens the fight against terrorism because the uneasy situation in the world requires it. However, several important moments should be taken into account while elaborating it.
'Should not they find some time to explain the society what ceremonies can be held? We should respect our people and voters.' Photo: Maksim Platonov
'Now it's time of Ramadan, people fast, including young people, no one cannot forbid them – everyone has the right. Why can't we explain it [the law] to the people? They are our people: our fathers, children, grandmothers,' Shaimiev said. 'If you listened to a recent speech of President of Russia carefully, he emphasised the voters' trust. Why can't we explain it to people but adopt the law in a hurry? I said they adopted the law in a haze or to go on holiday. Ozerov called me right after the session. I told him: don't assure religious people, not me. Should not they find some time to explain the society what ceremonies can be held? We should respect our people and voters. I don't know how it is possible to rest this way (it is possible that many people already want to rest) without having explained it. In general, I think if you don't like people, you should not be in power. It is our people, our society. The most important thing is to explain the people.'
Shaimiev also told he received a pile of questions of how the law will act.
'People started asking me: what about the procession? I even had no answer. Is procession permitted by law or not? It is possible to explain everything and, on the contrary, gain people's credibility,' the State Advisor concluded.