By: Borut Korun
Democracies differ from each other, but dictatorships are similar. This is understandable since democracy is supposed to be a competition of different opinions, while dictatorship only recognises one: the opinion of the dictator or the ideological group. The decisions of dictators of all times and colours are strikingly similar: they all pursue one goal – to silence any opinion that differs from theirs.
It is true that we encounter different degrees of dictatorship. We know of dictatorships led by an absolute monarch, enlightened leaders like Napoleon, but also tyrants like Phalaris, the ruler of ancient Sicily, who prepared his victims for the roar of a bull by imprisoning them in a hollow bronze bull and igniting a fire beneath them. Among dictators, there are many psychopaths, such as Hitler and Stalin, or seemingly cosmopolitan leaders who, in reality, had their hidden islands, like our former marshal. Dictatorships need executioners and require gulags.
These days, we were shaken by the news that Alexei Navalny, a political rival of Putin, became a victim of dictatorship. Indeed, it is unusual for us to be moved by the death of an individual when thousands of young people are dying on the battlefield. Most victims in this world are nameless – hence we erect monuments to the unknown hero. Yet, others become symbols, representatives of all those nameless individuals, or, as Prešeren wrote, the highest peaks upon which the gazes of all of us are fixed, and against which lightning bolts crack. When these individuals are killed, they kill our hopes; in a way, they kill all of us. They kill the hope that things might get better someday. However, the battle between good and evil is as old as human civilisations, and there is no indication that it will ever end. For good and evil are born with us and die with us – only to be reborn again soon.
Putin no longer hides that he is a dictator, following the ignoble tradition of this great country that began with Ivan the Terrible, reached its peak – hopefully – with Stalin, and found its successor in Putin.
EVEN SLOVENIANS, ALTHOUGH FAR FROM RUSSIA, ARE NOT FAR FROM DICTATORSHIP. RECENTLY, IN OUR TINY SLOVENIA, THEY DID SOMETHING WORTHY OF ANCIENT HISTORY. LIKE THE RUSSIAN DICTATOR, THEY PROHIBITED MOURNING FOR THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS OF COMMUNIST VIOLENCE.
Dictators in their dictatorships also progress, they learn. Putin has now reached the pinnacle – he has even banned mourning for a man killed by his henchmen. With this, the dictatorship has reached rock bottom – it has not only banned political activities, speech, and writing but also the most human emotions. Once again, I cannot resist comparing it to antiquity. Navalny, who voluntarily returned to his homeland, even though he could have guessed what awaited him, is the Russian version of the ancient Antigone, who followed the most basic commandment of love, and Putin is playing the role of a modern Creon. All those unhappy individuals who gathered in Russian cities, bringing flowers in memory of the slain, are reminiscent of Antigone as well; they were arrested and imprisoned.
Slovenians, although far from Russia, are not far from dictatorship. Recently, in our tiny Slovenia, they did something worthy of an ancient story. Like the Russian dictator, they prohibited mourning for thousands of victims of communist violence. Just like Putin, they banned memories, emotions, and mourning. Our apprentices in undemocratic services may not yet reach Putin, but to become a master in this profession, you do not need great intelligence and much time. For now, they still amuse us with their ignorance, incompetence, and laziness, making us happy when they want to bite each other’s throats. They still steal clumsily, although the sums are getting bigger. They disregard legislation but talk about the rule of law. They create absurdities at every turn, things we could laugh at if the matter were not so serious. The fact that they mostly look like clowns should not deceive us. For now, they are dilettantes, but they are learning. However, they have the souls of dictators and still follow an undemocratic ideology. This was openly demonstrated with the inhumane prohibition. They have not undergone any metamorphosis when they changed their name. They showed where their political path leads.
Dictatorships are similar, as I noted at the beginning. We have seen two very similar actions that reveal the nature of dictatorship. This resemblance should open our eyes. Before it is too late.