When Will Officials Get Tired Of Being "Whipping Boys"?

The search for ones to blame for the economic crisis led to the persecution of directors in the regions.

Economist Leanid Zaika commented in his interview to Charter97.org on the news regarding the initiation of a number of criminal cases against officials of the regions.

– Broadly speaking, it’s just some standard nomenclature cleansing. In the regions, as well as inside the central authorities, there is arbitrariness, misappropriation of revenues and other things. Therefore, those managers and leading specialists, who do not have a crime-sponsored cover and support in the vertical of power, are under attack. But they knew what they had settled for, so I do not think it is necessary to feel for them deeply. This is our Belarusian routine. People in higher positions have found themselves in detention centers. I believe that nothing out of the common is happening – this is a standard procedure.

– At the end of 2016 some bankers and managers of large enterprises were arrested as well. Now directors in the regions are in focus. It is somehow connected?

– You know, decisions on any given specific person or region are "game" taken. For example, Mahiliou, Hrodna, Minsk region might get in the firing line. It all depends on the internal struggle within the nomenclature. In fact, such nomenclature games with using judicial and investigative factors are at the back of this persecution. After all, not all of them will be actually convicted, but very often such persecution is a signal: behold, we will take some of yours, then someone else’s – we are making signals to the higher leadership, the leadership of the regions.

I can give an example. Once Putin gave instructions to begin criminal proceedings against several Shoigu’s deputies to keep a lid on him. That is, it was a signal to the leader: stay where you are, do not rock the boat, you also can go after them. Yes, there are such methods in nomenclature practices.

– Many of the political prisoners who were released, say that 2/3 of prisons in Belarus are filled with business executives ... Why is it so? Why do they tolerate such an attitude?

– The fact is that now it is quite difficult to obtain reliable information about the financial situation at public enterprises or other structures. Therefore, an "assessment of the situation" is being selectively carried out. The detained and brought to account leaders give compromising materials on their colleagues and superiors. So, before to touch someone, especially when it comes to the economic executives, they take someone smaller. This is the second class, not the main doers. Economic executives are always vulnerable, any director can be put behind bars after four years of work. The only question is who is to choose first.

It is a technique of intimidation and discipline. Not everyone is allowed to do what he wants. For example, there are also some figures at the top of the central authorities, who are left alone, though there is compromising material on them. As far as I know, Lukashenka has compromising material on everyone. So everyone knows: step left, step right ... if someone does not serve the ruler truly and fairly, he goes to rest. The sky is plaid. The power is fuel led this way, like in many other countries. Nothing new is here. So it was with Stalin, so it was inside all the authoritarian regimes, with all the authoritarian leaders.

– Under such persecution, why does Belarus remain one of the most corrupt countries in the world?

– Well, Belarus is corrupt, but it’s not the most corrupt country in the world. Rather, in our country, corruption is presented to the public as certain bribes, gifts or gratuities, which take place within such innocuous groups as doctors or teachers. Although the most corrupt ones are the traffic police, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies. But the society is focused on the fact that corruption exists among doctors and teachers. I had to find the facts, when a person wrote out a prescription and the amount of his, so to say, "royalties" was 1.5 dollars. But that was the basis for legal action.

As for the higher echelons of power, they have certain rules. As Putin said, "we do not sell out insiders." Who are the insiders? Well, let's say, businessman Murauyou was not an insider, and therefore he felt first-hand the agrements of the regime. Who else – Chyzh, for example, and others. But this is a temporary punishment, to bring a person into a state of universal love towards the current government, true incorruptible love.

So here we have just an organizational process of dropping-off the heads of different structures. This process is demonstrational. The situation in the national economy is negative, and if so, then you have to look for those responsible. And they have been found.