Serving Appointments and Fishing Rods

This is the first blow to the image of the state since the adoption of the parasite decree.

At the meeting with the activists of the Minsk region on December 4, sad assessments of the personnel capabilities of the Belarusian authorities were voiced. It was not the first time when Lukashenka had to focus on "the most alarming issues". However, this time it was about a separate capital region, but the same applies to others.

The first issue is the problems in the personnel policy of the region. It turns out that with a reserve of 209 people there are 47 vacancies in the regional and district executive committees. For example, the position of the director of Vileika Rayagroservis has not been occupied since 2015. "What positive result can be expected if there are no directors at sites?" Lukashenka wondered. - And why do you need such a reserve? 30 vacancies in agriculture and processing industry organizations is a failure in the personnel area.

The consequences can be very serious: "If there are no strong leaders, we will not be able to solve the problems we face today. Moreover, the economic development of the region directly depends on the qualitative composition of the managing "vertical".

The reasons for this problem are either poorly analyzed or diligently concealed. Although there is no secret. It is hard to be a leader in Belarus. It is extremely challenging. One needs to comply with indicators, diversify sources and exports, ensure milk yield and veils, attract investments, stimulate small business, stop the squandering of state property, control elections and rural activities, take care of people. In the end, you get the salary that is not much higher than that of a cool IT guy or top manager of a private company. If you take a bribe, no mercy follows. At the meeting, Lukashenka reminded that this year 12 managers had been fired for discrediting reasons, three of them were district chief executives in the Minsk region. In just five years 69 "compromised" managers of various levels have been dismissed.

In October, Lukashenka mentioned that there were about 850 people in his personnel reserve. According to the head of state, these people have certain powers, protection and immunity. For example, they can't be detained and arrested without Lukashenka's authorization.

However, judging by the criminal chronicle, no exclusive rights can help under certain conditions. And the appointment chronicles demonstrate that the same personnel deck has to be reshuffled to ensure enough managers at places.

And here's the result: it became difficult to find top managers. If there are not enough people in the country willing to become the head, it is an alarming signal.

The statement of Lukashenka about a gradual transition from a paternalistic model to a supportive one during his speech before the so-called parliamentarians on December 5 looks even more interesting. In other words, the state will not take care of all person's problems but will create conditions for him to be able to solve them independently.

This is the first blow to the image of the state since the adoption of the parasite decree. After all the assurances of relentless care of the state, many citizens have believed that all the benefits come from the state. And now, as it turns out, paternalism has run out. And now you can live as you wish. Every man for himself.

Similar incidents have occurred in modern history. For example, the Law on Economic Freedom was adopted in Georgia back in 2011. It announced that the state sets minimum taxes, eliminates almost all administrative barriers and gives citizens the right to use all means except criminal ones to make money. As a result, the powers and corruption capabilities of the bureaucracy have reached the bottom, and the country has become one of the top performers in a number of global rankings, including doing business. However, a significant part of the population did not appreciate this version of the social contract. This is what the Georgians demonstrated in the elections-2013.

Perhaps, many Belarusians will not like to solve their problems on their own either. It is easy to say, "the best help that the state can render is not to bother". But libertarian models are good in ideal conditions. Especially where a significant part of the population depends entirely on the will of their superiors, without thinking that they (superiors) more often create problems rather than solutions to them.

On the one hand, a spectacular position of a defender of sovereignty and an advocate of equal competitive conditions with Russian allies will cost a price for the Belarusian authorities. It may cost so much that there will be not enough money for a full-fledged paternalism and modest support of socially vulnerable strata, but also the habitual comfort for the authorities.

On the other hand, the forthcoming rejection of the state paternalism will become a good reason for the population to think about the future. And how much they should contribute to the state if they have their own fishing rod...

Leonid Fridkin, BelGazeta