The well-known film director, President of Russian Cultural Fund and scandalous persona Nikita Mikhalkov has come out with a political message under the pretentious title Law and Truth. Manifesto of Enlightened Conservatism, in which he calls to change Russian constitution and create a new conservative “guarantee state”.

The printed document takes 63 pages. According to Nikita Mikhalkov, he has been working on the manifesto for a whole year. The document has been passed on to the heads of the state for consideration.

The manifesto consists of several parts, in which the film director expounds the attitude of “enlightened conservators” to various spheres in life of the state and society.

According to Mr. Mikhalkov, most of the Russians dislike the modern Russian social framework “representing a detonating mixture of liberal modernization running after the West, arbitrary rule of “local heads” and “all-pervading corruption”.

“Euphoria of liberal democracy is over! It is high time to do things!” – the film director proclaims. In his opinion, it is necessary to establish and maintain law and order in the country, provide cultural and national security, improve the well-being of all citizens, restore the feeling of pride and responsibility for our country, guarantee social justice and social protection of citizens and uphold rights and freedoms of fellow countrymen living near and far abroad.

Nikita Mikhalkov tackles upon certain areas of social life and states a range of theses of “enlightened conservatism”. Apart from that, he air a viewpoint that in future there will be left only three political parties able to struggle for power in Russia: conservative, liberal and social.

Nothing was reported about the intention of Nikita Mikhalkov, who turned 65 years old on 21 October 2010, to found his own political party, though.

Actor Nikolai Burlyaev: “I believe that publishing of this manifesto is an event on a par with the one that was once made by Alexander Solzhenitsyn – his essay How We Must Rebuild Russia. It is concern of a true Russian intellectual for his country. I completely share this idea. At the same time I realize that this deed will evoke an aggressive response and opposition from the west-oriented part of our intelligentsia. Radio Freedom used to say at dawn of Perestroika about the idea of dislodging the Russians from the Russian spirit, the Russian tradition. The deed of Nikita Mikhalkov is meant to counterbalance this monstrous tradition, which has been, knowingly or not, imposed for a quarter of a century already”.

For a whole week contributors of Russian mass media have been analyzing the text of this remarkable document, happily exercising their wit and attention for detail. Anyhow, all of them agree about one thing – from the artistic point of view the text is hideous. Another point, which is probably more nerve-racking, is the falsity of the role Nikita Mikhalkov is playing. What is it that really stands behind this noble concern for his motherland?

The editor-in-chief of REGNUM Information Agency Modest Kolerov: “Manifesto of Nikita Mikhalkov corresponds to his personal interests and attempts to defend them: the vivid artist cannot but feel his decline and is trying to find new application for his scale and energy”.

It is a reminder that recently Rosokhrankultura (Russian Federal Surveillance Service for Compliance with the Law in Mass Communications and Cultural Heritage Protection) has entrusted the Russian Rightholders Association founded by Nikita Mikhalkov to collect and distribute money from importers of data carriers and electronics. By estimate the overall amount of levied assets will make around 100 million dollars per year.

Another scandalous situation with Nikita Mikhalkov was related to his company that demolished remains of a 19th century estate in the centre of Moscow in order to build a hotel there.

Sources:
ruskline.ru
lenta.ru
lenta.ru (2)
lenta.ru (3)