Section: Policy

With a month's interval, round table discussions took place in Republic Buryatia and the Aginskiy Buryat autonomous' district. The themes were problems of so-called integration of the subjects of the Federation, for a long time an idea of the federal authority. However, whoever possesses the "copyright" of this project should know that it is fraught with consequences, but yet it is a separate question.

It is known only that the unifying processes were begun with the absorption of national districts, but not from association of microscopic and mononational areas as were the European part of the country. What does it mean? Perhaps, the authority is solidarity with often repeated statements of the unconstrained leader of LDPR, Zhirinovsky. They are very similar with what Zhirinovsky presented as the idea of "integration" and liquidation of the national-state autonomies more than 10 years ago.

There is a version, that authorities sincerely trust, in the uncomplaining consent of native nationalities of the districts. The low level of national consciousness allows the power structures to systematically push forward and persistently to begin a policy of integration with them. But the last elections in the districts have shown, that, most likely, 10-15 percent voted against association, including the native people making them as a rule, the absolute minority in their own districts.

Many nationalities of Siberia and the Far East, have joined Russia. They have enriched and strengthened the boundless open spaces and riches of the earth. In essence, all this huge country survives only due to them during the last many decades.
The fact, that in any measure, owing to the help of radical people, the Russian state stood for almost 100 years right to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Owing to them and their territories the state sovereignty has survived the bloody wars of the twentieth century. In aggregate, wars and policies of the seventeenth to twentieth centuries have led to sharp reduction of the lesser people of Siberia.

Russian immigrants have taken the best arable and hunting land of the native people. There was no need for thousands of unqualified hands of the Russian society. This became the reason that many local nationalities have forever disappeared from pages of Siberian history. Today one cannot find on the ground any evidence of ethnos of Arins, Asans, Djesars, Kotts, Kachins,Kamasins,Beltirs. From many keto-languages, nationalities of Yenisei there remains less than a thousand persons. Nowadays there is even a reduction of people to the Siberian lands as Mansi, Hanty, Evenks and others. All the world is anxious about disappearing flora and fauna, now already added to the Red book. Then there was some action to develop projects to secure their rescue. But here we are talking about a whole people not just flora and fauna.

It is difficult to tell how correctly the course has been chosen for integration of national autonomies. The subjects have been promised some donation in exchange for the new integration. It is especially difficult to count up objectively the contribution of national autonomies for development and preservation of the state; it is not so simple, as it seems. In fact the district or Republic is not a simple matter with some parameter of contribution of revenue. Strictly speaking, it is also the territory which, has never been sold, presented, or leased, and which in centuries (and not just the last five years) brought to the treasury, practically unique in Russia, the competitive goods in the world market; from furs and precious metals, to oil, gas and diamonds. These territories served as the mortgage of geopolitical greatness of the country, its importance on the international scene and they made (and continue making) an external advanced post of a defensive boundary. Yes, what is there to speak, "the blood tribute " - heaviest of tributes - has been paid by all the people of Siberia. Skilled equestrians brave fighters, and phenomenal snipers for more than three hundred years, their own blood proved the right of the people's respect in Russia. The defeat of fascism first in history near Moscow in the fierce winter of 1941-42; a merit of heroic Siberia with its divisions during the critical moment that they were thrown to the front, with all their resources, with its hospitable reception by the evacuated factories and workers. When Moscow needed the force of our Siberian sons, and the riches of its grounds, nobody asked from them about a correlation or ratio of incomes and subventions for it was silly to ask, it was obvious without words.

Nowadays it is different. The state is shifting the responsibility of the future of small numbers of native people to the subjects of the Federation. Although it has not turned out as yet, in the beginning they shall remove the name of people all over the administrative map of the country, then after some time there will be no people. And then we shall throw up our hands or make a helpless gesture: we wanted life better, but it has turned out as always.

However, Russian analysts have known - the political scientists see more reason for the itch' to integrate. They approve, in front of the government of Russia, the example of a terrible ghost of disintegration that loomed over a great power - the USSR. To prevent a similar fate, the general Russian elimination of national autonomies is accepted. It is infinitely a pity that we have lost a Great Native land; we sincerely were proud of its citizenship. The USSR, perhaps, you will not return. But, why is it impossible to return that spirit of friendship and trust, when we generally all were the same in the great Union? Why not recollect, that disintegration of the Union is not the handwork of Kazakhs or Turkmen, not even the Komi- Permyats, not Koryaks, or Evenks, and especially not the Buryat. And a referendum, the form of which will now actively impose on the Buryat autonomy, is contrary to all of us that already passed a referendum in 1990.

We know the results, we know that people voted to stay in the Union, and we remember, how easily the results of this referendum have been ignored. Hardly, someone, is so forgetful today that they do not recall those state formations and institutes of authority which have crumpled. The will of their own people has been sent to the dumpster of history. For those who are afraid of disintegration of the country, it would be necessary to turn on the heat, first of all, on those who once have already accepted this participation. Not on individuals of course. Institutes and methods of authority; here it would be necessary to begin a crusade for unity of the country.

We heard that the referendum about destiny of the union has been lead under pressure, without free agitation, with ambiguous questions, with infringements, without the separate account of the votes of republics of the Union (actual members of this Union), without taking into account the opinions of separate people (including republics of the Union during the self-determination). There is then a question about how we should be concerned about a forthcoming referendum in the Ust-Orda?

Is there someone who is obviously independent of authority and not afraid that it can be disengaged and can with analytic confidence, tell, that today in preparation of the will of the people of Ust-Orda that these are not the same items? If there are such independent and competent organizations, bodies, persons why have they not been involved till now? Or perhaps involved, but carefully hide their conclusions? Questions are multiplied day by day, but answers do not increase. Thus, it is impossible to tell that questions reach only the politically active part of the population of the Buryat districts. For the first time for many years, we observe so strong an impact for the political status of Buryat people, their history and the right to definition of their own destiny, among practically all layers of their society.

Interest of the Buryat public to a problem of integration of regions is so great, that the population of three Buryat subjects of Federation, the Buryat diasporas in large cities of the country and in Mongolia actively discuss it with some alarm for the future of the nation. The representative of Republic Buryatia in Mongolia, (N.I.Atanov) has very diplomatically told about it at "The Round Table " in BGU ( Buryat State University). Fifty thousand Buryat Diaspora in Mongolia from rural remote places of the country asked the Buryat diplomat questions, expressing the anxiety for the future of their fellow tribesmen.

The Russian opponents of association of the district in this area sent letters directly to the president of the country, V. V. Putin with the request to suspend this process.
We have information that similar appeals were sent to the Congressman of the USA, David Price, through the Consulate of Mongolia then also to the President of Mongolia, Nambarin Enhbayar for some reason. Their arrival is not known, only that they were sent to the addressees. But the recent open letter on the Buryat question from the President of the World Association of World Mongols, Dashiin Byambasuren, ex-prime-minister of Mongolia; a Buryat by nationality, speaks much about this topic.
"The Round Table" at BGU (Buryat State University) took place under the request of the Governor of Irkutsk area, Alexander Tishanin to consider the factor of influence of the mood of western Buryats. He considered it necessary to hold a meeting with representatives of the Buryat public in Ulan-Ude, to tell about the meaning of forthcoming changes in the life of both area and district.
For the main argument in favor of integration, the Irkutsk delegation has put forward the thesis that for years of an independent life, the autonomy of Ust-Orda which has received its own flag and coat of arms, but yet could not solve any of the primary problems of its existence, including the problem of improvement of the standard of living. For this indicator, the last place was clearly given to the Ust-Orda, not only in the Siberian federal district, but also as a whole across Russia. Without federal transfers, the smallest region of six areas could not exist. The people of Irkutsk have forgotten to tell that the Ust-Orda, before getting independence, was for 60 years held within the structure of the area and was financed on memory of its former heads, "by a residual principle." On such a basis, the district after more than 10 years of independence could hardly develop.

In the opinion of the representatives of administration of Irkutsk area, the poverty of the inhabitants of the district is due to absence of association with the area. Instead of lack of integration, the activity of the management of Irkutsk district is exclusively guilty. But at a meeting another judgment was sounded also. Why in the same conditions, the Aginskiy Buryat autonomous district dynamically develops? Is it because of the essence of differences in the interest and the initiative of national focused leaders with considerable distinction in the management of a district? Professor-political scientist Erdem Dagbaev is sure that after association(integration) the district will unequivocally lose its national self-identification, The head of this district will be someone appointed in all concordance with regional and federal authorities. The Irkutsk delegation ignores the reason of disorder of agriculture in the Buryat district and the progressing poverty of its inhabitants has not been awarded any attention. Though under the certificate of agrarian experts-landowners in Russian villages of this area are in worst condition, than in the Buryat district.

Participants of the round table, respected people of district, Russians and Buryats, it is given rather to reason to speak against process of liquidation of the national-state autonomy.

The situation today, in accuracy, repeats the beginning of the twentieth century, when Russian capitalism gained in strength and in one hour suddenly liquidated structures of hard won self-management of native people of Russia including the Buryat. During 1902 - 1905 the Buryat delegations visited the Tsar in Saint Petersburg and the Crimea, wrote numerous applications and petitions addressed to the government and high-ranking officials, plaintively asked to cancel volost (unit of district) reform. But all was in vain. In a characteristic speech; the threat expressing the national policy of the imperial government of that period, the military minister of Russia, A.Kuropatkin on the petition of the same Buryat of Aginskiy, about restoration of bodies of national self-management has spoke in Chita City in 1906, If your people will lead themselves poorly, you will answer; and if will lead itself well, to you it will be good. If, God forbid, you will take in head for people to show any liberties, to resist commands of the sovereign, then know, that you will be wiped out instantly.(Our course - V .Ts.)+ To demand you should ask nothing, you can ask only a favour " (In the collection "National movement during the first Russian revolution in Russia," Cheboksary, 1935, p. 91). It couldn't be told more clearly.

There is another example with a positive approach. Alexander III's decree on the land conceded in the beginning of the century received and on November 23rd, 1888, the Tsar gave out the letters of patent to Buryats of Aginskiy. In the decree, borders of the grounds are listed in detail, all these grounds affirm "on usual possession " to Buryats of Aginskiy and their descendants and all is ruled to protect quiet possession by the Buryat.
Occasionally, patent letters by Emperor Alexander III, in presence of deputies of Aginskiy and Horinskiy departments, have said: " I have signed the letter on your lands, send our respects to your relatives, bow with respect and calm them, that the letter will protect their property."

Buryats have led themselves reasonably enough during crisis. Owing to Lenin's national policy, Buryats have proved the right to national-territorial statehood. In the history of Russia, from its origin as a great empire, always there were elements of national policy in relation to small nations. For example, management of Buryats was carried out by steppe thoughts (authority) and patrimonial justice of nineteenth century, hoshuns (administrative unit) and volosts (administrative unit) through uyezd (administrative unit) and district. In the spring of 1917 the Buryat people carried out the right to self-determination, having created bodies of a national-territorial autonomy. The Buryat independent organization under different names has survived as Provisional government, as Bolsheviks, as semenovts and has entered RSFSR(Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic) and DVR(the Far East Republic, former of USSR) under the next name - the Buryat-Mongolian autonomous regions. Then, as an association of RSFSR and DVR, Buryat people, the second time, have carried out the right to self-determination and have reunited to the Buryat-Mongolian �SSR, proclaimed on May, 30th, 1923.

Today, the Republic Buryatia is national-territorial state formation, the greatest gain of Buryat people and its national leaders, managed to revive self-management for the Buryats and to continue it through two wars to one republic.

One of the main arguments people of Irkutsk had in discussion was the promise to maintain "the special status" for UOBAO. However in what "feature" of this status will consist, no one from administration of Irkutsk area was able to explain. Meanwhile, in the beginning of December, 2005 plenipotentiary of the president of the Russian Federation in the Siberian federal district, Anatoly Kvashnin, in a military way, fairly, at the closed meeting has expressed that to apply the formulation " the special status" for UOBAO was not necessary. From the general's view, the ethnic question does not need to be transformed into national-territorial question. After integration, for this district it will be enough only to provide additional financing of cultural programs. That's it!

The Russian military minister stated a threat in the distant 1906 year without any doubt about his correctness. It would seem now that anybody with a head will not come to repeat similar threats. But the life is full of unexpectedness. So, in 1992 General A.Rutskoj, vice-president of Russia, was at a meeting in Irkutsk with delegations of Irkutsk and Chita areas and RB (Buryat Republic). After performance by the representative of republic concerning rehabilitation of Buryat people, an illegal partition of republic in 1937 and its restoration, the General, with inexplicable rage, cried out: "Inform for yourself people, that you will turn out to be nothing!"

But, nevertheless, Buryats, operating strictly in the civilized frameworks, try to form alternative initiative groups for propaganda before a referendum.

Buryats: ask the questions, concerning us all. Ask them to listen, to not be deaf persons in this dialogue. Do not ignore infinitely the moods and requests of the Buryat public. It becomes not so simple, not constructive, and, perhaps, even it is not even decent.