Former political prisoner and politician Mikalai Statkevich addressed Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Nasha Niva. He gave them advice that could be described as an attempt to ease tensions.
Nasha Niva previously published a report about Siarhei Tsikhanouski’s birthday celebration in the United States. He was upset that the publication described the party as being held “on a grand scale.” Tsikhanouski then proposed examining grants and Belarusian independent media and appealing “to our Western partners with a proposal to take into account the quality and responsibility of recipients when making decisions on further media funding.” Siarhei Tsikhanouski also became more active on social media, where he began leaving sharp comments.
Now Mikalai Statkevich has advised Tsikhanouski to learn not to complain about criticism from the media, because this is an essential quality for a politician.
“Nevertheless, I want to advise Siarhei to learn not to complain about the media for critical, even if inaccurate, statements directed at him, and especially not to react emotionally to verbal claims and attacks by opponents, which is a necessary quality of a democratic politician. And if he turned to Russian poetic classics, I wish him to follow the poetic advice of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin: “Accept both praise and slander with indifference and do not argue with a fool.” Or my non-poetic advice: “Never argue with dogs.”, he wrote.
Statkevich also had some advice for Nasha Niva.
“I would ask Nasha Niva, which I deeply respect for its many years of support for Belarusian identity, not to descend in discussions with a person whose merits and suffering in the struggle for Belarus’s freedom are indisputable to expressions such as “labuda.” Perhaps this increases the audience, but it diminishes respect”, the former political prisoner added.