In Belarus, people of different religions and cultures share the same vision of future and work hard for Belarus’ stability, growth and gain a deserved place in the international community and I think this feature of Belarus is very valuable in these troubled times and unfortunately, it is a rare feature.”
Not only has President Lukashenko signed the Culture Code, he seemed to have woken up from his periodic years of sleeping against the Belarusian cultures, and has admonished at a meeting on the summary agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Customs Code on 9 December, that Belarus interests were paramount, when the Customs Code of the EEU was embraced.
According to news reports, “The Customs Code is the principal document regulating these relations. We always say that export is of vital importance to us.
“It brings foreign currency to our country which is used to ensure decent standard of living,” Lukashenko noted.
He continued, “Therefore, this document should be thoroughly elaborated, so that not a single Belarusian citizen, including me, asks our government, which has been responsible for the drafting and consideration of the Code, what real results it has brought about and why the situation in some aspects has become worse than before… This should be done immediately in order to give people time to provide feedback and say what is beneficial for us and what is not.”
Notwithstanding, the Culture Code will enter into force in six months counting from July after its endorsed publication.
At least, it will end the many years of mock on the once scrawny national identity of Belarus which’s “Belorussia”.
We hope that the Culture Code will enhance the 11% number of daily tabloids printed in Belarusian.
Although, Belarusian and Russian Languages are the official languages in the Constitution of Belarus, but if the country can make it Belarusian, it will hold enough water.
However, the Culture Code would mean that the Belarusians who perceivably believe till recently that they are still in the defunct Soviet Union, where the Russian Language is fad, have started to break the shackles of that Union which can be said has not been favourable to Belarus.
We could remember that the Pahonian coat of arms is traceable to the era of the GDL and since 1917, has been in use as a sign of the political rival, awaiting today.
It makes Belarus National Republic (BNR) to be unrecognised in 1918, but celebrated as “fascist”; with the flag been official under German occupation.
Odimegwu Onwumere is an award-winning journalist based in Rivers State. Tel: +2348032552855. E-mail: apoet_25@yahoo.com
