Posted:
08.01.2025 15:28:16
Expert: Belarus’ socially focused policies a global example
Socially focused policies are a national brand in Belarus, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Sergei Klishevich said to Alfa Radio
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Commenting on the Belarusian leader’s words, Mr. Klishevich said, “Socially focused policies are a Belarusian brand by now, something we are recognised by. Many countries, by the way, especially in the West, don’t want their citizens to know about a socially focused country like Belarus. Because that’s a hit to their image.”
Examples the MP cited to substantiate his words included the maternity leave duration in Belarus and other countries, free meals in elementary schools, and the Minsk metro where every trip costs over Br2 while the passengers pay only about half that: Br0.9.
Mr. Klishevich went on to point out that fairness is one of Belarus’ key ideological principles. The Head of State also touched on that in his address after the Christmas service. As Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised, an unfair society ends up in a war.
“People of all convictions, walks of life, and ages want a fair treatment, and that’s the foundation of President Lukashenko’s policies. In Belarus, fairness permeates all areas of life. A basic example: when young people come to enrol with universities, no one asks them who their parents are socially, or how much money they own. Their knowledge is all that matters. The same is true for sports, culture, or any other area,” explained the MP.
He added that it’s extremely important to handle people’s issues based on the principle of fairness,
“Today, we are able to make fair decisions even if the issue in question, or its possible solutions are not envisioned clearly and precisely in any law. Fairness is something that brings our people together, and that is the foundation Belarus’ steady progressive development is based on.”
Keeping on the topic of fairness, the speaker touched on the pricing issue. On January 7th, Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that we have to develop a pricing formula that would be self-regulating and fair.
As Mr. Klishevich elaborated, “Obviously, there are market laws, other rules that regulate pricing. But if someone is lining their pockets at the expense of the people, drive the prices up out of proportion, earn windfall profits that are later funneled abroad… how is that fair today in Belarus where every dime is earned by people working in the field or at the assembly line? Of course they want those dimes to be distributed fairly. When, on the other hand, someone is making money out of thin air at the common people’s expense, how fair can that be? It is, therefore, at odds with our ideological and constitutional principles, and of course, a situation like that has to be corrected, by the Head of State, if need be.”
Today, according to him, the pricing issue is an issue for every Belarusian.
“If the price you set is fair, great. But if we see unjustified price raises with the profit siphoned out of the country, if a family, or a few families are living in clover while others are counting pennies, what kind of fairness are we talking about? And that can trigger distrust for the authorities and a collapse of the state down the road,” added Sergei Klishevich.
When attending a Christmas service in the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Logoisk on January 7th, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko reaffirmed the social focus of Belarus’ policies.
We are going to keep implementing our socially focused policies. No country does as much as we are doing for the people in Belarus. The key is that we are listening to our people and hearing them.
Commenting on the Belarusian leader’s words, Mr. Klishevich said, “Socially focused policies are a Belarusian brand by now, something we are recognised by. Many countries, by the way, especially in the West, don’t want their citizens to know about a socially focused country like Belarus. Because that’s a hit to their image.”
Examples the MP cited to substantiate his words included the maternity leave duration in Belarus and other countries, free meals in elementary schools, and the Minsk metro where every trip costs over Br2 while the passengers pay only about half that: Br0.9.
“The list of social benefits we offer goes on and on. Of course, that makes the West uncomfortable. Over there, everything is geared up for profit extraction by politicians and international corporations, and people are just tools to earn money with. Our socially focused policies set a global example. Things we were able to achieve in the last 30 years thanks to President Lukashenko’s policies are the greatest win for us and a thorn in the side for many. That’s what they are fighting against. The goal of the sanctions they impose on us is to take those social benefits away so that people are left without them. And that is going to be used as a fertile ground for creating popular unrest. Our objective is to preserve those social benefits so that our children have the same opportunities we used to enjoy. If they improve them by working better and earning more, their lives are going to be better. But our direct duty is to preserve what we already have,” he said.
“People of all convictions, walks of life, and ages want a fair treatment, and that’s the foundation of President Lukashenko’s policies. In Belarus, fairness permeates all areas of life. A basic example: when young people come to enrol with universities, no one asks them who their parents are socially, or how much money they own. Their knowledge is all that matters. The same is true for sports, culture, or any other area,” explained the MP.
He added that it’s extremely important to handle people’s issues based on the principle of fairness,
“Today, we are able to make fair decisions even if the issue in question, or its possible solutions are not envisioned clearly and precisely in any law. Fairness is something that brings our people together, and that is the foundation Belarus’ steady progressive development is based on.”
Keeping on the topic of fairness, the speaker touched on the pricing issue. On January 7th, Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that we have to develop a pricing formula that would be self-regulating and fair.
As Mr. Klishevich elaborated, “Obviously, there are market laws, other rules that regulate pricing. But if someone is lining their pockets at the expense of the people, drive the prices up out of proportion, earn windfall profits that are later funneled abroad… how is that fair today in Belarus where every dime is earned by people working in the field or at the assembly line? Of course they want those dimes to be distributed fairly. When, on the other hand, someone is making money out of thin air at the common people’s expense, how fair can that be? It is, therefore, at odds with our ideological and constitutional principles, and of course, a situation like that has to be corrected, by the Head of State, if need be.”
Today, according to him, the pricing issue is an issue for every Belarusian.
“If the price you set is fair, great. But if we see unjustified price raises with the profit siphoned out of the country, if a family, or a few families are living in clover while others are counting pennies, what kind of fairness are we talking about? And that can trigger distrust for the authorities and a collapse of the state down the road,” added Sergei Klishevich.
