#9 - JRL 8024
From: "Melvin Anders" <melvinanders@usa.com>
Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004
Subject: Details on http://www.uznay-prezidenta.ru/

The new "kids website" developed by Vladimir Putin which was reported on in recent issues of the JRL contains section called "lessons in democracy" which consists of six questions presented on a blackboard. For each question the kid chooses the chalk "yes" or the eraser "no" and then receives a grade of A+ to F. The questions and answers are as follows:

LESSONS IN DEMOCRACY

At home and on TV, adults are not afraid to express different opinions and argue with each other about politics. They think the government does some good things and some bad things. Is this democracy? Correct answer: Yes.

All adults who speak about politics on TV express the same opinion, loudly and enthusiastically supporting the president, the administration and the government, and at home it's more of the same. Is this democracy? Correct answer: No.

It is explained to children that the rights of each and every individual person are more important than the government, that the main goal of government is to protect the rights of each and every citizen, and that each citizen has the right to disagree with the government and to protect his human rights. Is this democracy? Correct answer: Yes.

It is explained to children that an individual citizen should never disagree with the government, that the government is more important than any one person and can treat any individual in the way it thinks best for everyone. Correct answer: No.

In order to choose the head of the government, adults vote for one of several candidates and the one with the most votes is declared the winner. After the election, adults who didn't vote for the candidate that wins feel no need to conceal this fact from each other. Is this democracy? Correct answer: Yes.

In an election, there is only one candidate, the person who is already the head of the government. Adults would never consider voting for anybody else. Is this democracy? Correct answer: No.

Nowhere on the website, however, does it say that democracy is "good" or explain why people would want it or what the alternatives might be, nor is there any reference to Russia's authoritarian past. There is no specific reference to the Duma (legislature) or the courts or any authority other than that of the president.

There is a section on the Russian constitution, but it does not consist of any "fun" activity, rather just a boring page of superficial text. There is no discussion of any action that the president might personally take which could violate the constitution, and no advice of any kind for what a citizen should do if he or she feels his constitutional rights have been violated.

The vast majority of the site consists of action photos of President Putin (among other things he is shown swimming with, ans seeming to kiss, two dolphins), details about his personal life and what his personal values are (what kinds of person he likes, and so forth) and an impressively flashy recitation of Russian history that completely ignores the Soviet epoch, focusing on the growth of the Kremlin.