The Loop for the People

It turns out that the "leader" has a dream.

A long-cherished, a hard-won, a bright and infinitely inspiring one. But it's not clear why it has been needed to conceal it from the people for so long. It would be better for him to speak it out. Right after a sudden breakthrough to power. The country could have taken another path then.

However, there's no need to hurry. After skiing last Sunday, the notorious skier and ice hockey player took the floor in front of journalists hungry for a ruling word. And he was surprisingly sincere. He shared his long-cherished dream: "We've spied upon Finns and Swedes and now we'd like to build a two-storey building of 100 metres long and a loop of 1200 metres in it. It is covered with snow inside and people can relax there.

Why he has been silent for so long! It's a different story then. Because foreigners arrive and show surprise. Why are people on Minsk streets so gloomy and dull? It is a great luck to meet a smiling person in the happiest country.

What wonder? Our townspeople have never had such a building which is covered with snow inside. And there's no place to drink coffee. Is this life? What smiles do you expect? Everyone knew that sooner or later they would be invited. But the time passed, and the summons to a snow house was not delivered.

However, there's a piece of hope that as of April 1 the situation will change for the better. And these are not predictions of naive dreamers. This is our reality. The ruler has finally ordered officials to ensure an average salary of 1000 rubles in the country. Until the end of the first quarter.

Only journalists have spoiled the nation's holiday. They put fragments of speeches together and uploaded the video on the Internet. It turned out that these promises are already ten years old. In 2010 officials were offered to increase this intractable salary to $1000 by 2015.

It would be better if someone in his inner circle broke the silence and wondered how to do it. Therefore, all attempts were curbed with simple and harsh advice: "You must dig deeper and find it!"

Every year they digged deeper and deeper, but failed to find.

And then the ruler was out of his patience. And he decided to dissociate himself from these careless performers who let him down. In early March he held the fateful meeting. The government, the board of the National Bank and others were invited. He read the document, which was presented as the speech on the main site. The more he read, the more officials inclined their heads. There was a reason. Here is just a fragment that reflects the common sense.

"It is extremely alarming that the execution of decisions of the head of the state is twisted. I require to create highly-efficient jobs. They promote growth, they are well-paid. I did not learn through how the government organized the execution of my order, but results are not satisfying".

Wow! It turns out that officials almost openly twist or ignore his orders. He "does not learn through" and does not control the execution of his orders. And in general, this fiery speech would make sense in early years of his reign. And it is really strange to complain about carelessness of officials after 24 years in power. Who is that person who appointed them? Who is the initiator of this great cohort? Who was so diligently recruiting the most obedient?

Anybody but him. In general, it a different story. The twenty-fifth anniversary of his reign is approaching. New elections are about to occur. And then officials will be those to blame for all evils. And he is Mr. Innocence, as usual. What a shame, they misunderstood him. This is the vertical.

"As far as I'm informed officials in Disctrict City Executive Committees have never heard about highs-efficient jobs." No, it's not Vanka Zhukov who is writing a letter to his grandfather living in a village and is complaining about his fate. This is the ruler who come down on careless subordinates.

Still Belarusians have no compelling reasons for hopeless pessimism. Anyway, these snowstorms have lost their raw power in the end of the winter. The sun is shining. The long-waited spring is taking the floor. The favorite officials' date, April 1, is just round the corner. And if our unpredictable economy freaks in the coming months, do not fall into despair.

At the direst forecasts, even taking the apocalypse which was clearly described by the ruler in his speech during the historic meeting with his associates, all citizens will see the snow house in the near future. There are no doubts that this object will not challenge dirty tricks of small officials. This is not an average salary of one thousand rubles, which assimilated to odious ghost once wandering all over Europe. The snow house has a very different perspective.

"All year around the temperature there is below zero. Such a loop is built in Finland, Sweden, and St. Petersburg. Ours will be even better." Such a wonderful dream of the ruler is going to become true. What else can we dream of in our flourishing and happy country?

And he was wrong to mention this. Loop for the people is more than a strange image. Associations are not good. And will we get there? It would be better to call it a snow house. Although this harmless option is also worrying for some reason. However, do not fall into panic and despair in advance.

However, the loop of 1200 metres long is too alarming. It's a quite specific term. Especially in our unique state. Is it really worth trying to get into this cold house, even if everything happens in accordance with predictions of higher authority?

The promised coffee will be likely poured from a barrel.

Uladzimir Khalip, specially for Charter97.org