Lid Over Head

The cynicism of the authorities towards people is impressive in its scope.

This time, the Chairman of the State Control Committee Leanid Anfimau has decided to be creative. During his meeting with the citizens in Vitsebsk JSC "Moloko" he advised young people ... not to hurry to have their own housing.

– Don’t rush events; the main thing is to have any roof over your head, and one day you will have your own apartments for sure, – promised the head of the State Control Committee and expressed the hope: – I think that by the end of 2017 - beginning of 2018 the country's economy will start to grow, social programs will be revised.

Let us leave the optimistic forecasts of the official regarding the rapid growth of our economy without comments – we have learned long ago that our country is run by incurable optimists. Let’s just calculate in what year the "unhurried Belarusians" will be able to move in their own homes?

The wright answer would be: in 2015! As we remember, such a promise gave Lukashenka when he participated in the elections in 2010.

“The level of income should allow families to buy their own homes within five years on average,” – announced the ruler.

I wonder how many Belarusians have "bought" their own apartments during these five years? How do you think when a person whose salary is Br3.5 million per month (and every second person lives on such income today) will be able to move into his own square meters (1171 USD for each)?

I think, the answer is obvious.

However, there are more hurrying citizens, who are coping with the task on purchasing their own housing much faster than the others. For example, Belarus’s Social Security Minister Marianna Shchetkina. Journalists have calculated that an ordinary Belarusians will have to work 184 years to build the same house as that of the official.

Other officials haven’t disappointed Lukashenka as well – they have built themselves quite decent “huts”, even in less than five years, allowing the president to fulfill his promise, at least partially.

Well, and as to the others Belarusians, they, according to our officials, should not hurry. However, in this case, they are more likely to see not a roof over their heads, but a lid. Right on their own slot of land of 2x2 square meters.

Anastasiya Zelyankova, “Salidarnasts”