Miasnikovich wants local councils to look for spongers

Members of local councils will help solve the problem of social parasitism.

The statement was made by chairman of the “council of the republic” Mikhail Miasnikovich at a meeting with members of the local councils of Kalinkavichy, Loyeu, Aktsiabrski and Rechytsa, BelTA reports.

“One may ask how to find these people. Members of district and rural councils know these people. They are near you. You help some with firewood, others are seasonal workers, but use all benefits provided by the state for free or with the state's support and don't pay taxes. We must reveal such facts. You mustn't help police or controlling agencies. But you can shame them. You can tell this person that the state has to pay for kindergarten for his children. Members of local councils must be active citizens,” Mikhail Miasnikovich said.

He noted that about 10% of Belarus's economically active population don't work and study. “According to different estimates, it is about 450,000 people. We don't speak about children, pensioners and sick people. I mean strong and health people,” he noted. “They have different sources of income. We'd like them to be legal,” he stressed.

If people had to pay for all services in the country and the government did not finance,for example, utility services, the problem wouldn't be so painful. Miasnikovich says there's no final decision regarding a regulatory act on the elimination of social parasitism. “As someone here noted wisely, we should use stick and carrot,” he said, noting that returning to the Soviet practice of criminal punishment for spongers was out of question. Economically active population should contribute to the financing of social expenses.

Mikhail Miasnikovich thinks that it would be wrong to impose a certain duty on certain categories of unemployed people. “It is like like a bribe to society. But people still live in society,” he said. Miasnikovich stressed that he was against the forced equality without the poor and the rich. “It cannot be so. People have different physical and mental abilities and grow in different conditions. It makes us so different. But we must support the most socially unprotected groups. It is we who decided who can have privileges,” the head of the “council of the republic” explained.