Enraged President Runs Intercom Meeting :: Charter'97 :: News

Infuriated and nervous Alexander Lukashenko hosted today a national intercom meeting, dedicated to the everlasting problems in the sowing campaign. As usual he frowned his brows and hysterically yelled at the state officials, scared to death - Minister of Agriculture Rusoi, Minister of Finance Korbut, National Bank`s head Prokopovich and poor regional council`s heads, which were blamed for failures in agriculture, while Lukashenko acted as a good guy, concerned with the well-being of common people. He threatened Premier Ermoshin, Administration head Myasnikovich and State Control head Tosik, hollering: "I`ll have you sent to the Chernobyl zone, behind barbed wire and you`ll dig their until you dig out money for the sowing!"

Having forgot his agreements with the IMF, Lukashenko commenced his monologue with a question, posed to the Minister of Finance: "You must notify me in detail which banks fulfilled their tasks in agriculture. Don`t they pretend they are poor! They must help." On learning that the banks paid out the extorted money, he condescendingly told Prokopovich: "We all criticize them and make them outcasts… But you better thank them now… and ask to finance 25% of state order by June 15 at the latest."

Afterwards, the floor was given to the Minister of Agriculture Mikhail Rusoi, who reported on the state of affairs in the sowing campaign. Lukashenko declared to the nervously biting his pen Rusoi: "If things go wrong you`ll answer to me personally, even under the Criminal Code!"

Then it was Prokopovch`s turn. Lukashenko warned him in advance to be articulate. While the report was read out in slurred voice Lukashenko was translating National Bank head`s words into "plain Russian".

In course of the intercom meeting Lukashenko was shouting at the shivering statesmen "How come you have no questions? You can`t speak from fear or what?"

One man in the audience rose from his seat, picked a microphone and tried to say something but Lukashenko interrupted him and recommended: "Don`t stick microphone into your mouth. We can`t hear you."

He was furious with the officials, claiming that they don`t wish to work but simply waste money.

It`s worth mention that all Belarusian security services officials were present at the intercom session on agricultural problems: Defense Minister Leonid Maltsev, Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov, KGB chief Leonid Erin, Security Council chair Ural Latypov and prosecutor general Viktor Sheiman.