Monumental veto

Capital deputies against the monument to Yuri Andropov

Disputes about the monumental appearance of the capital flared up again yesterday between the city and federal authorities. This time because of the desire of the Kremlin administration to decorate Andropov Avenue with a monument to the former General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and Chairman of the KGB. As the Ekho Moskvy radio station reported yesterday, the idea to perpetuate the memory of Yuri Andropov belongs to Vladimir Putin himself, and the monument is planned to open next to Kolomenskoye Park on July 15, 2004, the day he would have turned 90 years old.

However, these plans are very different from the ideas of Moscow legislators about who should erect monuments in the capital. “In my opinion, there is no need to perpetuate people who can cause a controversial attitude from society,” says Moscow City Duma deputy Evgeny Bunimovich. - It is difficult to find a person who would be against the monument to Pushkin, Lermontov, Yuri Nikulin, Yuri Gagarin. But in the case of Yuri Andropov, there will probably be a significant proportion of both those who are “for” and those who are “against”. We must seek agreement in society, and not aggravate its confrontation, which, by the way, is what the president always talks about. I would also like to remind you that there are many forms of perpetuating memory. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bronze statue. Moreover, there is already an avenue and a memorial plaque with Andropov’s name. Why doesn’t the presidential administration build, for example, an orphanage or a hospital named after him?”

In addition to the moral side, the capital's legislators are also not satisfied with the legal side. “According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the installation of monuments falls under the jurisdiction of the constituent entities of the federation,” explained Evgeny Bunimovich. — The presidential administration could submit a proposal to the Moscow City Duma to resolve the issue of installing the monument. And we definitely had to consult with the Moscow Commission on Monumental Art.” According to Mr. Bunimovich, this is not the first time that federal structures have resolved such issues without permission. So recently a monument to the dead sailors of Kursk was erected in Moscow. “The project would, of course, have been approved by both the commission and the Moscow City Duma, why was it necessary to implement it in violation of the law?” At the next meeting, the deputies intend to draw up a written message to the president and ask him to continue to take into account the opinion and rights of the city.

Kirill VASILENKO