Saving is a national priority for Belarus
The Belarus President Aliaksandr Lukashenka has described the current situation as “a pressure on Belarus from outside” and called on everyone to live economically and save.
The government officials have been tasked to take concrete measures and warned that “the punishment will be ruthless”.
The Minister of Communal Services asked “all the patriots” to install water meters. The trade unions stepped in too, making a Soviet –style decision to save energy through competition between the working collectives.
Is it going to help our country? Political commentator and economist Yarasalu Ramanchuk shares his views on the problem.
“In the Soviet Uinion, nobody listened to anyone, because the people were ignoring the authorities. Why in Belarus would people obey immediately and buy water meters? If they are not punished with money, nothing will come out of this. If the government said that those who did not install the meters would five times more, this would have been an efficient measure,” he told the European Radio for Belarus.
The office of the president said it was drafting a Directive No 3, specifically focused on saving as a national security priority. But, have the first two directives helped resolve the issues concerned there?
The first directive focused on the discipline, while the second directive was designed to fight the red tape and arrogance of public servants. The system is attempting to save itself. But, is it capable?
“The governance system and the form of ownership need to be changed, because private owners only are able to do whatever Belarus is in need of today, namely, the reduction of energy consumption. If we have a country of owners, there will be no need to mill the air with these laments, asking the industries to use less water, because everyone will be responsible with his pocket and his cash,” Ramanchuk said.
While the country is trying to save water, electricity, land and forests, we have asked sportsman Vjachaslau Haraneka and writer Adam Hlobus to share their views on what else can be saved.
Vjachaslau Harenka: “One can save on rubbish. Whatever is dumped can be recycled.”
Adam Hlobus: “We need to treat everything with care, especially our beloved ones. I think the government should call on the people to love their families.”
Back on a more serious track, experts suggest pessimistic forecasts. The do not believe in an all-out saving, but they have a clear stance on how the Belarusian economy is going to develop.
“The costs will rise, and stability of the financial market will be affected. The Belarusian currency will be devalued. The further deterioration of the situation can even lead to Russia putting up trade barriers for our goods. This will worsen the condition of our factories even more. The industries will be unable to sell their products, filling up their warehouses. Up to 20 percent of the labor will loose their jobs. Sooner or later, this system will be unable to function. This could definitely imply serious political complications,” Ramanchuk said.
The same rules do not apply to different countries and in different times. Belarus is not the Soviet Union, and the stimulation of people by competitions between the workers or loud calls is hardly to bring about positive results. Rather, it will yield other results, which will force us to address the problems with the modern methods.
