February

2000

From the editors

Dear businessmen.

By the decision of the strike committee the strike of businessmen stops from 12.02.2000 (those who want to "make the most of what’s left of the holiday” in February are able to do it). There several reasons to stop the.

The first reason. The authority recognised the mistakes and declared that it is ready to begin talks, in that case if the Free trade unions of the businessmen suspend the actions of the protest (the strike). We show good will and we show the authorities that we are ready to co-operate with them to solve the disputed situation in essence. We give the authorities the last credit of trust and we hope that the officials of all levels will learn lessons from this strike and will stop to rob the citizens. If the offers of authorities: about the beginning about the real talks, cancellation of the VAT, of huge fines etc. is the next "dodge" and deceit, we shall organise the mass actions of the protest (meetings, procession etc.) with the attraction of all layers of the population of the Republic of Belarus in all cities of the Republic of Belarus.

The second reason. THE VAT should be cancelled up to 20.02.2000. Otherwise, all tax inspections will charge the VAT for January, 2000 (A. Sazonov asserts that the unique reason on which the VAT is not cancelled is the strike of the businessmen).

The third reason - basic. The begun amicable strike of the businessmen has decreased. As the practice shows if more than 25 % of the businessmen began to work there is no sense to continue the strike. Some businessmen are real "rams". While they are not taken into the destructive section they will not begin to think. There is one more group of the businessmen " one –day scroungers". For them it is important "to grab", and there the grass may not grow. Using the absence of a competition in the markets during the strikes, their income has considerably increased. And, certainly, frank traitors of our interests - businessmen working on the authority and pro-governmental trade unions. This is the group of people who made everything the strike to be less effective. A fly in the ointment can spoil it. If not these people we could achieve much.

The fourth reason. We, the strike committee, do not have enough means to resist the misinformation which is daily poured by a flow from the state MASS-MEDIAS. The strike demands the huge expenses (travellers, release of the leaflets and bulletins etc.), today we do not have money for this purpose.

The fifth reason Mass reprisals from the part of the state against the active workers of the Free Trade union of the Businessmen. We hope that the authorities will take advantage of our Good will and they will sit down at the table for the talks and will create acceptable conditions for the renewal of the work of the businessmen who have decided to begin the trade in February, 2000 and will announce "moratorium" on the use of the punitive measures on Decrees and Edicts of the President of RB before the end of the talks. We offer the authorities not to kindle the conflict and to solve the concrete problems of the Belorussian businessmen.

Have we won or have we lost? I would tell that the first stage of the opposition was finished in a draw. On the one hand, 31.01.2000 a good meeting took place, almost 100 % strikes of the businessmen in the first decade of February have forced the authorities to recognise the mistakes, have increased number of the supporters. Moreover, now the authorities (if they are not the fools) in the near future will not apply the sanctions to the businessmen and will not restrain the rights of the businessmen and they will think before the acceptance of the acts which hurt the rights of the businessmen.

On the other hand, the authority has not disgraced themselves and has offered to begin the talks. Our further actions will depend extremely on the position of the authority during the talks with the Free Trade union (if those is not the next deceit).

Politics … Many of you are afraid of one word.

Unfortunately, not all people understand the sense of this word. THE POLITICS is based on the interests of the large and small groups of people regulation of the public life with the help of the state authority and not state institutes. Is it not clear? All our life in the state is subordinated to the politics. If there are the incompetent people at the authority – there is the "confused" politics in the country. You are said that it is impossible to interfere with politics. And why are you so spoken to? Have you ever thought about this? The present politicians are afraid of the arrival of the clever and competent people into the politics. They have arranged the “seed–can” to themselves and anybody is not allowed to approach to it. The election will be soon. The election to the parliament and election of the President of the Republic of Belarus. Whether will incompetent and cowardly people come again into office? If they do, they will again issue the unreasoned laws, decrees, edicts and normative acts. And we shall live, work according to these laws decrees and to be indignant, not understanding, that we have assisted it. Can we solve this problem in another way? Let's engage a little bit in the politics and we shall elect the normal and competent people who will issue those laws on which we shall work quietly, strengthen the state and bring up our children. The businessmen have made the political choice. In the Republic of Belarus the businessmen join the United Civil Party. More than 40 men joined the Grodno urban party organisation for last two months, 8 primary organisations created in Grodno. The United Civil Party asserts the inviolability of a private property and chooses the West-European way of development (instead of collective farms-administrative, as we have now). We are for the independence and neutrality of the Republic of Belarus. It is necessary to strengthen a party of the businessmen, if it is necessary to form a new management (the congress of the party will be soon) and to achieve the protection of the economic rights and lawful interests of the businessmen by political methods. Today each citizen, including businessman, has an opportunity to affect the further destiny. All our troubles are from our passivity. The movement for the economic freedom of the Republic of Belarus, created on the initiative of the strike committee of the businessmen joins the numbers of UCP and actively begins to conduct the struggle for the political authority in the country. A duty of each businessman is to help this movement by human and financial resources. Together we shall achieve much. Those who want to join UCP in the Grodno region, to create primary organisations, can call: (0152) 31-30-62 (Valery Levonevsky), in Grodno (0152) 31-17-23 (Victor Podchinenkov, a chairman of the urban organisation of UCP) tel. Of UCP (central office) in Minsk 211-02-79 E-mail: OGPgrodno@mail.ru

Attention, Gangsters!

The first episode. Not so long ago at one of the ware markets of Belarus a woman bought trousers to the son, a boy who 8 years old, studies in the second form. They tried the trousers on, everything was OK, the mother was pleased and began to bargain with a seller. A market is a market, especially, if these two women are "twins", a bit later they find the appropriate price for everybody and money was handed to the seller. Everything is OK, both seller and buyer and schoolboy are pleased, however the events began to develop absolutely under another script than the participants of the bargain expected. Suddenly as from under the ground a sturdy young man jumped out, grasped the seller to a hand and begin to break it off, it was clear that he could do this, he was learned somewhere. The seller - woman is 50 years old, her eyes were watering from the pain, she says: «Son, what are you doing, you will break my hand off!». The young man took the money away and there literally pulled the just bought trousers from the boy off. The woman - buyer does not understand anything, she thinks that they are simply robbed. The began to cry, the trousers were taken away, he stood in the pants, it seemed that he might catch the cold, he shook because of the cold and fear. Then the young men shows a certificate and says: «I am a tax inspector, you have done the illegal currency deal, thus you have broken the Decree of the President». All at last everybody understood that he is not a gangster, he is a tax inspector. Two women who have done a deal were led to the tax inspection, the young man was happy because he realised a plan, caught people for the currency, he may get premium, and the authorities will thank him, he may be promoted, and in general he made "a good" business. Only the women and schoolboy who were led to the tax inspection felt hurt. The arm of the woman - seller was so twisted by the young man that she could not lift it up during the next week, in the tax inspection she “was met half-way” and imposed a fine about 100 dollars and they could impose 800 dollars and they looked like benefactors: we understood your situation so the fine is minimal, you should be happy. The woman - buyer was also imposed a fine and all her dollars which she had in a purse were confiscated, the schoolboy had to do without trousers, he as the “main" initiator of the illegal currency deal.

The second episode. A woman approaches her acquaintance who sells shirts, blouses and trousers at the market. There were no buyers at the market and the conversation about life, about children, about the husbands etc. began between them, as it frequently happens when two talkative women meet. The conversation about prices also began and one of the women said: «This shirt is expensive, 10 dollars is much today». Only she has said these words, two sturdy men jumped up to her, they grasped her hands and said: «You have done the illegal currency operation, let’s go with us». She said: «Who are you? I have done nothing, release me, I feel hurt!» Those thought that it was the resistance, lifted a jacket, twirled it on the head and dragged her on the ground. The woman shouts: «It is painful! Release me, I shall go myself!». While they dragged her, for "the persuasiveness" they knocked her on the head, it was convenient for them to treat the women, when she rose on legs, they beat her on legs. When they portaged her to the militia division and she was searched and they found out that she had no any dollars. The woman understood that the employees of the financial militia detained her for the ostensibly illegal currency operation and she began to ask questions: «For what did you beat me?» The next day the woman asked an expert in the judicial medicine to testify blows which were done the employees of the financial militia to her. The expert in the judicial medicine testified them : at the hands and body of the woman there were more than 15 bruises, besides the woman felt giddy because of the numerous blows on the head. The complaint in the office of the public prosecutor and in other instances on the actions of the employees of the financial militia was lodged. The answer was got a bit: the actions of the employees of the financial militia were lawful!

The third episode. A young beautiful woman sells the goods at the market, an employee of the department on the struggle with economic crimes (DSEC) approaches to her and begins to check the documents (certificates, attestations, invoices etc.) and of course he finds some things to cling to and makes the act up. After the drawing up of the act the employee of DSEC says to her: «I shall “visit” you every day and check if you don’t agree to spend the night with me!». The woman did not know what to do. She came to the next tent where a widow who is more than 40 trades and told her that “story”. The widow advises: «If he is such sexually anxious, let him come to me, I shall make him out and if you do not agree you may complain on him». She went to his chief and he listened to her, laughed, and says: «I shall make him out». It is not clear how he made him out, but the employee continues to go on the market as if anything it "did not happen" and proposes the similar things to another young saleswomen!

The fourth episode. One of the employees of numerous supervising departments decided to correct his financial status. He comes to the market and begins to search "for a victim", to catch the sellers on dollars, he has the certificate with himself. And at last he has caught! "A victim" understands that the fine is huge and this fact uses the employee, he says: «Well, we shall make a gift to you as the New year is soon, give me 20 dollars and that is all!». The seller has given him 20 dollars and is "happy", he has got "the gift", and from whom!

All these episodes are taken from the life of the businessmen, there are a lot them in a field of sight of the trade-union’s active workers, the most typical episodes are taken for you to make analysis and appropriate conclusions on their basis. During the investigation of the episode wabou the woman who was beat, the employees of the financial militia had to write explanatory documents about how and what took place. And what do they write? All explanations begin so: «We went in raid to check the fulfilment of the Decree of the President #1 about the prohibition of illegal currency operations». In simple words it can be told so: «The President send us in the raid to get means for him, simply robbed these speculators, it is appeared, that there were no currency, we were mistaken, but you see we were sent by anybody!» So like water off a duck’s back. How it is possible to punish the employees who were sent personally by the President? They, you see, "a good" business did, money for him extracted, and that the rights of a man and constitution of the own state are broken, it is of no importance. Our president, as it is necessary to understand, "has wasted" a lot of money, there is not enough money, where should he take money? Industry has "laid", nobody gives anything abroad, only and it remains to rob own people. Legal base for this purpose he has created. Decree is Decree, what I want that and I shall take away. So, once again: «Be careful, gangsters!»

The special correspondent of the bulletin "The Businessman" Sergei Rukomoinikov.

And meanwhile

The promised talks has not begun. The meetings between the representatives of the ministries and some businessmen take place. A. Sazonov (a minister) asserts that the VAT will not be cancelled, he will not allow it. Bukova and A. Lukashenko assert that the VAT will be cancelled. Who will appear to be a liar we shall see. (Bet: one to ten again A. Sazonov). The minister of the Internal Affairs of RB has announced "moratorium" on retaliatory and confiscation operations concerning the businessmen. All this is, certainly, good, but we shall achieve the beginning of the real talks and conclusion of the appropriate agreement. The free trade union directs the second offer to A. Lukashenko and the Government to begin the talks. The answer has not been got yet.

What are to do?

It is necessary to create and to strengthen own Free trade unions of the businessmen. It is necessary to bring up the leaders, to work with the people. Neither West nor Russia will help us. Two years ago we, businessmen, were called “lousy fleas” by A. Lukashenko, now the competition " On the best defender of the businessmen" is announced. The reason is one: we have begun to be united and carry out the serious actions of the protest. It is only beginning. A sharp problem in the finance. We are preparing for large meetings and actions of civil disobedience. As to the traitors from the trade union "Sadruzhosts" – throw them out on their ears, they are permanent provocateurs. These impostors go and pretend that they carry out talks. Actually they hide problems.