“They are quite satisfied with concentration camp here” :: Charter'97 :: News

Lukashenka’s decree limiting foreign trips of state officials to two days was viewed as “he cannot go abroad himself, so he does not allow others to go”. What former colleagues could advise to state officials? This question was addressed by the UCP press service to famous Belarusian leaders.

Stanislau Bahdankevich, former chairman of the National bank:

- It is a mad and absurd requirement. The only way out is mutiny. One should not put up with it. When I was a chairman of the National blank, I have not asked permission of Kebich or Lukashenka for my foreign business trips to the West or to the East, as it was my work.

Our officials are certainly not capable for such revolt. The authorities have selected controllable pen-pushers. They are not personalities. A person that has self-respect is capable of a deed, and not temporizers who are thinking only of keeping their positions.

Pavel Kazlouski, former Defence Minister

- There is only one way out, a president can govern the state trusting his subordinates. I was an official once, but I was relied on, and I could make decisions. I was to make reports in the Supreme Soviet, Cabinet of Ministers, they could support me or not. But I had never been humiliated; I had not been considered a fool.

But today’s bureaucrats do not have a right of voice, neither in decision making, nor on showing their initiative. It is a tragedy of our state, when an official does not fulfil his functions.

Alyaksandr Sasnou, former Labour Minister

- The matter is that there was the same situation before. The trips were limited tacitly, but it had not been brought under regulations in any document. And now it has been done. What should officials do? It is their problem. They won’t do to foreign business trips, that’s all.

It’s hard to imagine for me now how Labour and Social protection Minister of Belarus is going to take part in the annual session of International Labour Organization, which lasts for almost two weeks. He can come for one day, make a report and go back. It’s clear. But how is he to find out what has been said there? The materials are to be published in a year. I do not know how the officials are to solve this problem.

By the way, what for these foreign ties for them? They are quite satisfied by the concentration camp here.