Severe Protests to Make Lukashenka Honour Businessmen

The dictator settles personal scores with entrepreneurs.

Today the Ministry of Finance starts the first sitting of the working group on activity of individual entrepreneurs (IEs).

Representatives of the governments and business sphere will discuss compliance with the requirements on products certification, Zautra Tvaie Krainy reminds.

Sasnou: Class hatred to be stronger

Is the government ready to take concessions?

- This is just the way to make a story long to destroy entrepreneurship in future, Aliaksandr Sasnou, former Minister of Labour, believes. - Here is only one person decides in our country. Other things are entourage: to burn off steam, to have a talk and to wait for this problem to go away.

The expert reminds that in 1995 Aliaksandr Lukashenka said there was a need to "shake off Belarusian businessmen like foul fleas!"

According to the ex-minister, payments to the budget, as well as no assistance provided to them will not make the head of Belarus stop.

- This time the class hatred is much stronger, Aliaksandr Sasnou is convinced.

He does not care about future of "IEs".

Political scientist Valery Karbalevich notes that the main requirement is the abolition of Decree No.222 that binds IEs to sale goods of the light industry imported from countries of the Customs Union only with accompanying documents. And because suppliers do not agree to issue documents of goods origin or make forged ones, Belarusian entrepreneurs are subject to fines.

The expert says bureaucrats themselves cannot handle the issue.

- Yes, the Decree may be postponed for six months, as it was before. But the problem remains. The president must decide to postpone it. Bureaucrats may only give promises that IEs may work for free within next six months or fines will be small. Other things are out of their powers, the analyst stresses.

He believes there are a few reasons for the Belarusian government to be dissatisfied with IEs.

- First, IEs import things, the government has been fighting it for years. Last year Lukashenka said addressing to IEs that "you are killing the light industry of Belarus". They import things that challenge way for the Belarusian light industry, the expert reminds.

One of the core reasons for a negative attitude of the government, according to Valery Karbalevich, is the very existence of entrepreneurs that undermines the paternalistic model of the state.

- The Belarusian government takes everything away from people and then shares it. IEs fall beyond it, they ask for nothing. But they create constant problems, take protests and rallies from time to time. Lukashenka has personal scores with this social stratum and now he wants them to disappear, the political scientist says.

The analyst intends that leaders of the country do not care about future of individual entrepreneurs.

He reminds that the decision was adopted two-three years ago, when the situation was more or less satisfying. Now they do not want to recognize their mistake and repeal Decree No. 222.

- Lukashenka does not consider entrepreneurs as insiders. It does not make a problem for him to close down plants and dismiss employees, the expert believes.

Nevertheless, the political scientist says IEs may succeed in revocation of Decree No. 222.

- In case of active protest actions and their escalation, then, the government may take concessions. Otherwise, everything remains the same, Valery Karbalevich predicts.