"Lukashenko Is Nothing But A Crook, A Boor, And A Cowardly Liar"

Why did workers from Uzbekistan who had come to Belarus demand to be sent home?

Lukashenko wants to bring workers from Uzbekistan to Belarus and is inviting them to come with their families. But the first Uzbeks to arrive have already alleged deception and demanded to be sent back.

Why is Lukashenko trying by any means necessary to bring in workers from abroad when, according to him, there are there are hundreds of thousands of “freeloaders,” who don’t want to work? Where have Belarusian workers actually gone?

The website Charter97.org discussed this with former political prisoner and coordinator of the “European Belarus” civic campaign Andrei Voinich:

— We all know where Belarusian professionals have actually gone. And the issue here isn’t just about professionals as a general workforce. Specialists at various levels have left. A great many high-level specialists have left the country. And these are precisely the professionals whom the dictator will never in his life be able to replace—neither with specialists from Uzbekistan nor with any other specialists. For one simple reason: they won’t go to Belarus.

Speaking of Uzbekistan, I know for a fact that the economic situation there is quite good right now. Specialists really do earn good money. They won’t trade one bad thing for another. They don’t need to. It’s easier for them to come to Belarus just to relax. Although, again, as far as I know, Uzbeks tend to choose other destinations. Belarus isn’t exactly the most appealing country for a vacation. It’s mainly Russians and a few tourists from Europe who come here.

Right now, Belarusian professionals are boosting the economies of other countries: Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany. The only ones to blame for this are Lukashenko and that incompetent court entourage he has gathered around himself.

They alone are to blame for this. First, because of the regime’s repression against Belarusians. Moreover, this repression has largely targeted the thinking segment of the population.

Second, because of working conditions in Belarus. Let’s be honest: they’re not just appalling—they’re unacceptable. No civilized country in the world can afford to treat professionals of any level—from workers to professors—this way.

We all know perfectly well what’s happening in Belarus. I don’t even know what word to use—there’s no such term. It’s the forced exodus of professionals from the country, and not even because of their political views, but simply because people, by their very nature, have their own opinions.

Human beings are free by nature. When attempts are made to enslave them—and this happens at virtually every workplace and throughout the state—they feel an intense sense of unease. They radically change their attitude toward the system, pack their bags, and leave.

This is especially true in agriculture, which is actually in serious decline. Only a handful of people make good money in agriculture. These are the showpiece, “window-display” specialists: combine operators and so on. Year after year, they’re photographed, awarded “Zhiguli” cars, medals, and certificates, and even have soup brought to them in the fields. But these are isolated collective farms. For the most part, state-owned agricultural enterprises are in deep trouble—pardon my language. Accordingly, the people working there earn the same meager wages: a pittance, as they say.

We can also take private enterprises as an example. There are a few private enterprises that actually achieve some impressive results. These are either enterprises controlled by Lukashenko or those that kiss Lukashenko’s ass so that the regime will support them. Again, this is solely for the sake of putting on a good show. But these are the exception.

As for the rest, if they start to achieve any success, their businesses are taken away. Repression is used against them—and not necessarily political repression. Belarus is a country that has reached great heights in repression across absolutely all ideological and non-ideological spheres. People, accordingly, don’t care about anything either. Why should I work if they take everything away from me? Businesses gradually begin to suffocate, wither away, and disappear. There are examples of this. Some are public, others are not. In fact, there aren’t even dozens of them—there may be thousands.

— Lukashenko promised the citizens of Uzbekistan housing, decent wages, and good living conditions. Why couldn’t the dictator resist and lied to them through his teeth? What was he counting on?

— Because Lukashenko is a liar. In fact, we could end it right there. He’s a pathological liar. Lukashenko simply cannot help but lie. One minute Elon Musk is going to give him a “Tesla,” the next something else is going to happen. There are actually plenty of examples. He lies constantly—to himself, to those around him, to the people, and to politicians from other countries. It’s his way of life. He’ll never change.

In this case, there’s a second factor at play, aside from the fact that Lukashenko is a liar. Nearly two million Belarusians have left Belarus. And that’s no small matter. For our country, that’s a huge number of people. The dictator really needs to fill those vacancies with just about anyone, because there’s no one left to do the work.

I have quite a few friends who work in healthcare. They say that in clinics, instead of specialists, there are actually people from India, Pakistan, and African countries who haven’t even graduated from medical school yet. They’re already being appointed as doctors because there’s a shortage of staff. Someone has to see the patients.

And this is Minsk. Just imagine what’s happening out in the provinces. Again, there are two or three token rural health posts or some clinic where journalists from Lukashenko’s official press pool go to show how great everything is. In reality, all these so-called—in quotes—“shitty cow sheds” are hidden behind the scenes.

By the way, when Lukashenko promised housing and so on, he lied. And he lied quite obviously. A great many young professionals, who are forcibly assigned to rural areas, write that the homes they’re given aren’t just unfit for human habitation. Often, they’re not even fit for keeping livestock. It’s a nightmare.

People can’t even talk about this nightmare. They send photos, but we simply can’t publish them because people might be identified. Then they’d end up in prison just for expressing their outrage at being deceived.

— Just a few days after their arrival, the Uzbek workers revolted and demanded to be sent home. What does this story say about the real state of the Belarusian economy, wage levels, and working conditions?

— Let’s call a spade a spade: for more than 30 years, the Belarusian economy has been plummeting into an abyss. I don’t want to use profanity, so I’ll put it this way. It’s falling, falling, and falling, regularly hitting something that resembles the bottom. But every time, it turns out that the real bottom is still far away.

Somehow, the system keeps scraping by on Russian and Chinese loans, by driving the Belarusian people deeper into debt. There is no economy in Belarus as such. There’s only a transfer of funds within the country from empty to emptier. Nothing more. To put it bluntly, Ivan and Marya sell each other some rusty chain every day. Today he sells to Marya, tomorrow Marya sells to him. That’s exactly what the Belarusian economy looks like.

There’s only one way to save it: get rid of this entire system, which doesn’t work. Even Lukashenko knows it doesn’t work. His main goal is to rake in as much money as possible to provide for his family after he’s gone.

There’s another very important point: the dictator portrays himself as a hero. He’s no hero at all. He’s just a crook, a boor, and a cowardly liar who came to power during the collapse of the Soviet Union, taking advantage of the people’s weakness and gullibility.

This story speaks volumes. We could go on and on about this. I feel very sorry for the Uzbek workers, but all of this was predictable. They should have known where they were going. In fact, I think every airport with flights to Belarus should have a sign that reads: “Don’t go there, because you’ll be cheated. In the worst case, you’ll even end up in jail.”

As for working conditions, they simply don’t exist. The contract system in Belarus doesn’t provide for decent working conditions. It’s like a noose with a sliding loop. One step to the left, one step to the right, and you’re strangled. No one wants to put up with this, but many have no choice.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com