<nettime> mailradek no. 17 (NOTA BENE: radical action in the Russian parliament; proposal for the NGOs)

[mailradek <kireev@glasnet.ru>]

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SEX, MONEY, POWER
Action in the State Duma (parliament)

Today, June 4, a radical action took place in the State Duma. 
Two participants have blocked the way of the deputies exiting the hall 
for the break, with a transparency "Sex. Money. Power." and threw the 
leaflets to the crowd of journalists. The leaflets had the text:*"They 
say the anarchists don't suggest any positive program. That's right. 
But the politicians who suggest the positive programs, do never plan 
to realize them. They only want money and power. Anarchism teaches how 
to act here and now".

The participants refused to tell the journalists what their names are 
and what party/organization they belong to, "for it will simplify your 
way to acknowledge and neutralize us".

The participants were arrested by the guards and brought to their office 
after a few minutes, and to the militia department after that, where 
they were released from two hours later. 
	
Remarks of a participant. An ignorance of militia and guards is striking! 
They would be much more furious some years earlier. Though we've heard the
cries of a security boss outside the doors of commandant's office: "They 
both had to sit here fifteen minutes earler! Hurry up to write an 
explanation!" (and the subordinate used to answer in a pretty insolent way).

It was also unexpected to see the same ignorance of the press. Again, 
the first radical action ever done within the walls of parliament, would 
become a first media topic at all TV channels just a couple of years ago. 
There're only some secondary programs showing it today. It means, the press 
has finally lost its will to give any objective information, and the 
program plans don't foresee any sensations (the first actionists of 90s 
were making use right of the journalist chase for the sensations). That's 
why we should start thinking about the actions which it already won't be 
able to conceal.




							Text no. 79
				3.06.1999
Here follow some suggestions for how the NGO should work. NGO for now is 
the most effective form of an organization focused on the radical politics.

The main problem of the contemporary radical organizations are: 
non-effectivity of the work, sectarianism, splits, the domination of theory
over the practice. The following suggestions can prevent many of these 
problems and make the NGOs a decisive factor of contemporary politics.

1) NGO should try to diminisn a number of participants for to avoid becoming 
an ordinary political party. An ideal NGO is one or two people plus computer 
with modem. If this aim is achieved, a humiliating notion of an "activist" 
will disappear itself: each radical politics' participant becomes an 
autonomous unit, capable of an autonomous and responsible decision-making.

2) Such minimal NGOs should work on solving the concrete tasks, realizing 
the concrete projects. If the concrete task's solving requires a cooperation 
(a political campaign, for instance), the NGOs can arrange the short-term 
tactical coalitions based on the solidary acceptance of this concrete project.

3) The main NGO's orientation should become a maximal effectivity. It means 
the intersection of ideological discussions and practical work must be 
avoided. It's possible to cooperate with everyone for the sake of the chosen 
aim's achievement. The main condition for such cooperation is its short-term 
destiny: the coalition is to be made for the successful doing the things 
only, and the only indicator for the cooperation's success is that the things 
get done. Otherwise the partner NGOs will turn into a new sort of political 
party inevitably.
	
4) The NGOs should reject the traditional attributes of traditional leftist 
parties for to overcome their ideology: these are the members' hierarchy, 
the principle of representation and the orientation on creating a constant 
or long-term political label. The NGOs should stop playing the authorship 
(as the establishment parties do) for the sake of creating a new zone for 
alternative politics: they should become anonymous, i.e. operative and 
invisible. Media and politicians defeat the NGOs when they just manage 
to see their faces and call their names. An anonymization of politics - 
that's the main task for the NGOs for the nearest decade.

5) That's why the political tasks shouldn't be formulated in terms of an 
officially discussed agenda, they must have a high degree of "insanity" 
from the official politics' point of view.

6) NGOs should forget about the strategical tasks and the long-term projects 
for to build their work on the tactical means only. Political strategy 
presupposes, the politician knows of what the present and the future are. 
But the ignorance and non-understanding are the only things which give a 
firmness and a will to act in contemporary conditions. NGOs should oppose 
a new, contemporary methodology of the immediate and tactical decision-making 
to the traditional leftist ambitions of a full knowledge about reality.

7) The best ones between the known tools of radical politics are at the 
moment the operative political campaigns consisting of: a) alternative 
information's distribution; b) sensational news' creation. Alternative 
information has to interprete politics the other way than the official 
does, it has to anonymize politics and to elaborate its own language, 
setting its own agenda and calling the things the other way (internet 
and mailing lists give a convenient tool for that). But we shouldn't only 
withstand the official information, but intervene its field as well, in 
order to become a newsmakers. That's what the massive and operative 
political campaigns and the radical actions, appealing to the broad 
audience, are needed for.

8) Radical actions should be operative, they shouldn't be evaluated like 
an artwork, which is self-sufficient and alienated from the situation. 
But there is a need to reject not only the artistic ambitions but the 
"heroical" perceptions of an action as well; the action for sure 
requires a high degree of firmness and bravery from its participants, 
but it's simultaneously just an elementary political work, isn't it?

9) However the NGO would see it's aims and it's place, even the one which 
is organized according to these principles, it shouldn't hinder any 
activities aimed to subvert a system, nor to criticize it. The NGOs 
autonomously act on their territories, rejecting the principle of 
representation and the principle of unity, standing for their own 
interests. They are highly radical, not allowing any reformism and 
any compromise, and their simultaneous, local and tactical activity 
creates a united front of the struggle.


INFO: May, 31 Larisa Schiptsova is temporarily released from the jail 
in Krasnodar. She was accused of preparing an attempt upon the governor 
Kondratenko. Larisa is released till the trial, and we hope it will be 
postponed because of the childbirth (she's at the sixth month of pregnancy). 
The other accused person, Maria Randina, was released earler and freed 
from all accusations.

June, 3 an action took place before the FSB office building in the center 
of Moscow. It was organized by the Comittee against political repressions.

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