Siarhei Antusevich: State ready to make people die for sake of money

Dubious legislative initiatives will lead to social unrests.

It has been announced today that debtors will be deprived of homes if the “house of representatives” adopts the relative law. It is proposed to seize elite houses, but what Belarusian officials may mean under “elite signs” is the excess of square metres per capita. Depriving people of homes can become a legal measure to “motivate debtors”. Siarhei Antsevich, the deputy head of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, says in an interview with charter97.org that another initiative of Belarusian officials will be aimed against people and won't solve real problems of the Belarusian society.

“We've seen many, to put it mildly, dubious initiatives lately. It's clear that the authorities don't have money in the budget and want to look for all possible sources of revenues. Such initiatives appear because someone thinks that they can replenish the budget in a magic way. Different approaches are possible, but how are they going to deprive people of their homes? Such decisions must be made at least by a court. Many absurd laws have been adopted recently, but such attitude to people who earned money and bought a flat is unacceptable. I think other measures should be used to recover debts,” he thinks.

– The Ministry of Justice suggests that the threat of being evicted will “motivate” people to pay their debts.

– It's nonsense. You can seize one's house, but what will it change? Officials will fill the budget with his debt, what will they do next? It doesn't solve the person's problems. I think the state should try to understand why one became a debtor rather than think about their immediate interests. They should not make people homeless and force them to hide. It would be more effective to help people so that they can pay their debts.

– It is especially important now when the authorities take measures against “social parasites”, when state-owned companies are on the brink on bankruptcy and sole traders are on the verge of a nervous breakdown…

– Yes, it can lead to a collapse. Such initiative can only lead to social unrests and upheaval. They just drive people into a corner. Debtors cannot work normally. If they works, the authorities send deductions orders and deductions are made from their wages. You can invent nothing new here. But what if debtors do not work? This struggle, including the struggle against social parasitism, means that the state is ready to make people die only to fill the budget.