Profit from privatisation to go to Lukashenka's clan

A wise approach would give 30 years instead of one year to privatise a flat.

Vital Rymasheuski, a co-head of the organising committee to create the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, spoke to charter97.org about the statement by the minister of housing and utilities, who said that one year was enough to save 300 million rubels for privatisation of a flat.

“I am convinced that the minister of housing and utilities is guided by instructions from higher government bodies and Lukashenka personally, who gives orders to rob people. I say it because this illegal and ungrounded decree cannot be called otherwise than a robbery. The authorities use all means to take money from people. The aim of the privatisation decree is to rob already poor Belarusians who haven't privatised their flats yet. I am sure that most people living in unprivatised flats cannot collect such a sum within a year. Most of this money will go to the fund of the clan that keeps the power,” the politician said.

He underlined that it was just one of the instruments to rob Belarusians.

“Electricity cost will increase. The authorities already say directly and brazenly that electricity prices for individuals will be higher than for companies. The government speaks about the socially oriented state. They say we have taxes and utility costs basing on real incomes of people. To calculate the time of privatisation for an average family, we need to take the average family income and take, for example, 30% out of it monthly. The privatisation process will take 30 years or even 50 years for small towns with low salaries. This approach would be more or less logical. The term of one year doesn't correspond the incomes of Belarusian families,” Vital Rymasheuski is confident.

It should be reminded that minister of housing and utilities Andrei Sharets said recently that one year was enough to collect 300 million rubles to privatise a flat.