1999

FROM THE EDITORS

Our actions to defend our rights have begun to give the first, while small, but fruits. The first one – the authorities have hidden and have refused from the mass destruction of the businessmen. Many normative acts prepared in the depths of the tax departments on the further robbery of the businessmen are postponed in a box. The second one - we have declared about ourselves as about the real force. We have been noticed, many ministries and political leaders have begun to talk with us. More and more officials of foreign countries declare about the intention to help us in our hard affair - to fight with the fools. The third one - we could join with workers, trade unions, parties and public associations. If someone thinks that the problems of businessmen can be solved by businessmen themselves without the support of broad masses of the population and international public he is deeply mistaken. If the parasites, for example fleas, are at an animal they should be erased on all body and not just on the end of the tail. It is necessary to carry out a series of measures eliminating conditions of their distribution and the main thing – the place where they live. And this should be in the state. While there is a mechanism of self-reproduction of the parasites - officials, while there is a nutritious environment for these parasites, while the country is supervised by the chatterboxes-parasites it is not very grateful and even dangerous thing to war against one small bug of district, regional or ministerial scale. The bugs-officials understand that the businessmen are very effective mean from the wreckers and prevent you, businessmen, to be developed. We have urged them on a little bit and some of them hid in slots, some try to drink blood from the businessmen using the impunity. Our task is to “destroy” parasites in our common house - the Republic of Belarus. In Poland these animals have been “destroyed” earlier, therefore they live much better. These and other problems were discussed by Valery Levonevsky and Polish members of the Parliament during working meetings in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland

On the photo: a fragment of working meeting. The Sejm. Warsaw.

THE ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS HAS BEGUN.

THE APPLICATION

Minsk 28.02.99

We, businessmen of the Republic of Belarus think that the basic reason of the impoverishment of our people is short-sighted and adventurous politics of A. Lukasheko, the present President of the Republic of Belarus. Damage made to our state for four and a half of years of government of Lukashenko we compare only with the invasion of fascist Germany on our Native land. Then we carried huge material and human losses. Today we can lose and independence. Since 1994 A. Lukashenko has made everything that invaders could not manage to do. He could convince a majority of people about necessity of voluntary surrender of the sovereignty of Belarus in a name of a mythical union state. Lukashenko today is a new aspect of aggression, aggression without the weapon. We were mistaken in 1994, having believed in fairy tales of A. Lukashenko that our pensioners will get pension not below the world one, that ours and European workers will earn equally, that the youth can get free-of-charge higher education etc. For our mistake we have paid wholly - poverty, the revelry of stealing, drunkenness and drug addicts, increased children's criminality, unemployment, corruption and bribery, very small wages and pensions disorganised economy. Five years are a sufficient period to show the abilities. We remember how the people of Belarus lived in 1994 and how it lives now. We see, how prosperous are our brothers -  slavs in Poland now and how poor they were. They say that any referendum in 1996 prolonged the powers of A. Lukashenko for couple of years. It is the next falsehood. There was no such a question on the referendum. And that the president had cheated on it - is the fact. We were confused and "cheated". All of us remember statements that the results of this referendum have no legal consequences, anybody has not explained us these changes in the Constitution, millions people did not see either old nor edited Constitution during this referendum, there also was no, as a matter of fact, a national discussion of these changes. He was simply trusted. We believe to his words. And he deceived us.

The country needs a new President. If in 1999 the presidential election do not take place it will be difficult to predict consequences in Belarus. Today A. Lukashenko involves Belarus in the military conflicts with NATO and regrets that today he does not have nuclear weapon. A. Lukashenko needs war. Then his presidential powers will be automatically prolonged. If we do not elect a new president today, we can be involved in the military conflicts this year.

Maybe it is enough to believe to illusions that a strong and resolute man will come and will make order in our state. The elephant is also strong and resolute though it is terribly afraid of mice. We know what can happen with a china-shop if the elephant appears there.

Let's the professionals rule the state.

We have such a professional today is. It is Mikhail Chigir, ex-premier. He tried to make our country rich and happy but was faced to the blunt wall of misunderstanding of A. Lukashenko and was forced to leave into the resignation. It is a merit of Chigir that we lived well in 1995 and 1996. And that he has found courage and has nominated himself on the election of the President in these not simple conditions tells about much.

Mikhail Chigir stands for the complete independence of the Republic of Belarus, for revival of national symbolic, for not violent revival of the Belorussian language and national culture by financing these programmes by a separate line of the state budget. Mikhail Chigir stands against the creation over-state formations and every possible united unions. He stands for equal partner and friendly relations both with Europe and with Russia.

Mikhail Chigir is that a man who will allow people to get earned without independently whether he is a worker, a businessman, a peasant or an employee. Mikhail Chigir stands for the construction of such a society in which the rights of each separate citizen will be above interests of the state.

All-Belorussian meeting of the heads and active workers of businessman’s, trade-union structures and organisations calls all citizens, businessmen, leaders of public organisations and parties to support a nominee of Mikhail Chigir and to join actively in his elective company by human and financial resources.

Our matter is right, victory will be behind us!

The chairman of the meeting

Valery Levonevsky

POSITION

28.02.99 the working meeting of Valery Levonevsky and Mikhail Chigir was held.

Many questions and problems which excite different layers of the population and category of the citizens were discussed. Mikhail Chigir has agreed to answer many questions. Specially for the readers of the bulletin "The Businessman" we propose you to read some extracts of conversation with Mikhail Chigir affecting interests of people of small business.

Question: how do you evaluate the development of business in the Republic of Belarus after your resignation from the government?

Answer: we hoped on the formation and development of middle class in our republic. You remember, what opportunities and the earnings the businessmen had. They created new workplaces, the taxes were paid, their families were ensured with the stable income. We knew that the structural reorganisation of the economy will necessarily lead to cutting of the workplaces and our task was to make this transition to the normal civilised economy much more painless. We think that the most enterprising people will be engaged in trade, sphere of services and small manufacture. So basically it has turned out. By 1996 many businessmen engaged in small trade have begun to open own manufactures and to buy industrial locations. For the state it was very favourable. The state did not put a coin in it but it received the taxes, workplaces, people wanted to work and to work independently for 24 hours per day at own will.

The main thing was that people became richer. It was enough money both on wages and on pension in 100 dollars of the USA and on other needs.

Question: So, how has it happened that everything is good and you have left from the post of the chairman of the government.

Answer: I like to work but not to execute the illiterate indications of the chief even if he is the President.

Approximately before some months up to my drift the company on shaking the economy of the Republic of Belarus had began. And the sense was not clear to me then. I thought that people are mistaken. I tried to persuade the President that his new Decrees and orders brought nothing except for the harm. But when I had understood that it is the purposeful politics to destroy the economy I left. I did not want to participate in this lawlessness.

Question: they say that we have bad laws in the sphere of business and all problems depend on this. But the laws on which we work were issued when you were the Prime - minister.

Answer: the quality of work of a law depends, first of all, on its executors.

Today all illiterate Decrees, Orders, the normative acts have paralysed these laws. And do not forget that before my resign we had directed these laws to create and now they are directed to destroy. I, as an economist, do not understand a lot of things in the present legislative situation.

Question: I know that you have the large programme of transformations in our country directed to assert democratic values, to save independence of the republic and to restore cultural and national values dear to each Belorussian. What would you change in the field of small business if you became the President of Belarus.

Answer: A lot. And there so many these small problems that it is difficult to list them all. I guarantee that basic of them will be solved during one month after you elect me as the President.

Question: Anyway could you name some examples what will be undertaken in this direction.

Answer: For people paying fixed rates of the taxes perforated coupons will be abolished, the coupons will be given only if a buyer demands them as the document confirming purchase. At the markets the obligatory requirements on certification of the goods will be abolished, there will be no necessity to certificate the goods having appropriate certificate, for example, of the Russian Federation or of other country where the requirements on quality of the goods correspond to the Belorussian norms. Generally, what concerns markets, everything that will be checked in the markets is the payment of the rate of the tax. The cancellation of criminal prosecution for small repeated offences, cancellation of obligatory opening of accounts scores for the businessmen, cancellation of absurd limitations in sphere of currency and money circulation. I can enumerate everything that is planned by us for a long time. We shall return the business in the legal field of 1994-95. Moreover, we shall give large freedom to develop small and average business. Well all these Decrees and Orders of the President contradicting to the Constitution of 1994 and common sense will be certainly abolished. We are ready to write off all shortages at the businessmen and subjects of managing of all forms of ownership as we know that these shortages in 99 cases from 100 are formed to the formal and far-fetched attributes.

Generally I am ready to begin working with any man person from a clean sheet. It is my principle of work. Especially with the businessmen who are very initiative and active part of the population of the country.

Question: The state should control the payment of the taxes. It is clear. But that occurs at us when the inspections are carried out is it simply extortion and mockery at a tax payer.

Answer: I completely agree with you. The inspections today are a frank robbery of the citizens and enterprises. We shall change a situation basically. We shall judge about work of the inspections on the increase of number of the tax payers, on the creation of new workplaces and on the increase of manufacture of the goods and services. Fine and other sanctions will be charged only at deliberate breaches of the tax laws. The tax inspector should help a tax payer, the main task of the inspector is preventive measures of offences. Well and, certainly, the sanctions should be essentially reduced. The period of prescription on tax offences will be established, the periods and periodicity of the realisation of inspections will be essentially restricted.

Question: How do you plan your work with the trade unions of the businessmen? What is your attitude to these structures?

Answer: I shall begin from the second question. Only positively. The businessmen have done correctly having formed the trade unions. The businessman is the same worker the only difference between them is that the businessman works at own risk. And that this category of the citizens creates trade unions in these conditions is a valid decision. What concerns the co-operation in the field of the legislation, any legislative act in the field of business will not be accepted without the co-ordination with you. The state should help the businessmen and not to oppose itself to them.

P.S. For years the businessmen have fought for the rights. Today we have an unique chance to work actively for some months and to achieve that the present mode will never allow us to work and to dispose earned freely.

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

In Grodno the centre of republican Free and Independent Trade unions on protection of the human rights continues to work. At this centre you can get advice on the labour right, the high-qualified lawyers will protect your rights if it is necessary, they will represent your interests in courts at labour disputes. The legal help is rendered free-of-charge. The centre helps (free-of-charge) to create own independent trade unions on factories, enterprises, educational institutions etc. in Grodno and Grodno region.

The reception of the citizens is carried on at Grodno, Telegraphnaya street 5 (lawyers), tel. 72-11-73, 72-00-72, tel./fax 44-37-48.

On complicated questions it is possible to enter the name on an individual reception (tel. 44-37-48). We spend seminars on the themes about the protection of the human rights. At these seminars you can learn your rights at disputes with tax and other organs. You may enter your name in the trade union. We remind that the election to local councils of April 4, 1999 are recognised in valid by all democratic architectures. All leading parties, public organisations, trade unions and outstanding people have declared about their non-participation in these election. And the election of the President of 16.05.99 all ordinary people welcome and approve. And all this is done in spite of the fact that the authorities do not want to participate in this election. They are afraid.

So, all participate in the election! What?! Decide.