BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/11/2007

Mr. "President" Where's The Money? (or Is Belarus Becoming a New European Zimbabwe?)

Michael Batiukov

In 1994 one of the basic items of an electoral program of Alexandr Lukashenko was "indemnification of the lost monetary contributions of the population at the rate of Rouble-Dollar for 1985" (that is when 1 Soviet Rouble was 1 US dollar). Back in 1998 when Lukashenko already became the President of Belarus, a Special President's Decree has been published according to which all indemnifications should be paid by January, 1st 2008. And here we are, 14 years later Belarusians started to get invitations from Belarusbank to get back their contributions what they have lost back in January1992. Let's say you had 10,000 roubles on your account. For 10,000 Roubles on your bank account in 1989 you could buy a nice two-bedroom apartment in Minsk or a good new car. Today in November 2007 Belarusbank (and Mr. "President" personally) is offering you just $10 in exchange of, basically, $10,000. So, what you can buy in Belarus today for 10 bucks? A cup of coffee? Thank you, thank you, Mr. "President". And, by the way, what kind of mockery is that? What's going on in the Kingdom of Belarus under the rule of the"Great Performer" & Mr. MisManager?

Some post Soviet Republic's experience in this matter prompts: it's possible to return to people their lost contributions. And it's possible to do so that the people could be satisfied, and the state was not ruined. For example, in Lithuania the government returned to people all real estate properties (including land) what they have owned before. Also the government returned bank contributions to people - in the ratio 1:4. For lost 10,000 Soviet Roubles it gave 2,500 dollars back.

Is Belarus becoming a new European Zimbabwe? Sure, it does. Dictatorships are all the same on any planet and any dictator is never the people's servant but their Ruler. Any dictator is not living in a vacuum, he is always surrounded by his close "friends" (or gang members, if you wish). Any dictatorship has a typical mafia structure and is based on fear of getting rejected (or killed) by other members. Any dictator is a dead-walking man. As soon as he's loosing his power he is loosing everything very often including his life. There are no exceptions to the rule.

That's why any dictator is constantly hypocritical to his people. He just must lie in order to survive any longer. He just must throw to jail anyone who is telling him the truth that he is a pathological Lier. Any dictatorship is based on lies. Lies are everywhere - on TV, in the newspapers, on the radio, in the government, in economics, in politics, in the movies, in books, in schools, universities and kindergardens, in supermarkets and grocery-stores. And people must live inside those lies. They must believe that they can also survive with a $250 salary a month and dreaming about $150000 two-bedroom appartment. What people do not understand is that they can not survive without changing the system, without throwing away the dictator and his gang.

Mr. Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe has been the head of government since 1980. He likes the power so much that he re-elected himself again and again, not so long ago in 2007. Let's look at his dictatorial achievements more closely.

The Mugabe administration has been criticised around the world for corruption, suppression of political opposition, mishandling of land reform, economic mismanagement, and deteriorating human rights. According to most analysts his administration's policies have led to economic collapse and massive starvation over the course of the last ten years. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world predicted to hit 1500000% by the end of 2007, and is, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Africa's worst economic performer. With a record 85 % unemployment and ~8000 % inflation rates, Zimbabwe is in its worst economic crisis since Mugabe took power.

What a nice guy! This is what 27 years of power can do to people. Must this nice guy to face an international tribunal for crimes against humanity and his own people just like the other dictators of the 21st century do? Sure they must be punished sooner or later by their own people. There is no escape from universal justice. Never. And it's coming.

Source:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=42559

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