The Decree on "Parasites" - Great Stimulus for Belarusians

The authorities themselves amp up the tension in the country.

February 19, it was reported that two retired Minsk citizens had been labeled "parasites". Children of the capital's residents, who paid for utilities of their parents. The absurdity of the situation is aggravated by the fact that labor veterans were labeled as "parasites". "Who has given the right to insult my parents, labor veterans, pensioners with more than 40 and 30 years of work experience, calling them an unemployed in the economy?" a Minsk resident commented on the situation. This is not the first failure of the Belarusian authorities with the decree on "parasites". Earlier, officials added to the list a mother with many children and people who paid income tax. Why do the authorities allow such mistakes and how can this affect the situation in the country? Charter97.org asked one of the leaders of the REP Trade Union, Ihar Komlik, for a comment. - It's a reoccurrence of the first edition of the decree. At that time, people who did not fall under the law on "parasites", but were forced to pay, also addressed the REP Trade Union. There were students, and those who took care of pensioners. There were a lot of such inconsistencies last time, and I think there will be enough in this edition as well. The thing is that the authorities have added half a million Belarusians to the "not employed in the economy". It's much information and overreaches will be enough. In addition, I'd like to draw attention to the very approach to the issue: a "presumption of guilt" applies to people who have found themselves in a hardship. People have to prove their innocence, because the authorities consider everyone a violator. This approach to the issue cuts across not only the situation around the decree. In our country, the entire system aims at punishing rather than encouraging. In Japan, for example, there are bonuses for workers who inform about rejects. It is simply better for us to be silent about it, because the entire system runs differently. It's the system where pensioners, who deserve help from the state, are called "parasites". - This isn't the first failure of the decree. Is the army of officials in commissions incapable of performing their duties? - This all signifies the absurdity of the decree. The mechanism of execution is very complicated, and performers act reluctantly, sabotaging the decree itself. Teachers who have much work, various reports, duties, are forced to work for the absurd law. It causes poor performance of work. I'd like to note that the authorities are quite cynical in lying, saying, for example, about support to large families, but at the same time they remove maternity leave from the working experience, force mothers to work. The situation around the decree leads to degradation and regression of our power. - May it happen that Belarusians will simply ignore the illegal decree in masses, while the authorities spend huge sums of money on commissions, their work, search of "parasites"? - Indeed, Belarusians can screw up the decree and the authorities will enjoy the benefits of none. But I'd like to note that the authorities are not interested in the financial aspect of the law. After all, we are talking about budget money, which is simply not counted. Nobody asks how much this or that whim costs. And quite a lot of money is spent on the service of the decree, and it is taken from pockets of Belarusians. The "parasite" decree is underfunded social programs, underpaid pensions and salaries. We need to increase pressure on the people who manage our money. In fact, it's a small group of officials who are not interested in spending it wisely. We need public monitoring and pressure on the budget establishment. - The Homel court has refused to consider the case of Maria Tarasenko, who wanted to prove that the decree was unconstitutional. How can Belarusians fight against the law then? - Unfortunately, the legal mechanism of contestation, when a person goes to court and appeals against a decision, does not always work in our country. In civilized countries this is the only possible way to solve problems. When a person is deprived of the right to appeal to court, people will have to protest against it. Someone will take to the streets, someone will boycott the decree, someone will appeal to international courts. The authorities themselves create tension in the country. - What will happen to the new edition of the decree on "parasites"? - I think it'll be clear when people get increased utility bills. Yes, the decree is discussed in the streets, kitchens, but there is no great resonance. People, who found themselves in a hardship, and not through their own fault, but through the fault of people in power, have to prove their innocence. People are angry with this attitude. The decree on "parasites" has become a great stimulus for the Belarusians.

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