Posted:
13.01.2025 12:45:35
Expert: Belarusians want to improve quality of life together with government
Belarusians want to co-operate with the government when it comes to improving their quality of life, said Aleksandr Shpakovsky, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, in his talk with Alfa Radio
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As Mr. Shpakovskt reminded, MPs hold regular information meetings with their voters, the general population, and people working at various companies.
“I can say there’s a public demand for improvement, co-operation with the government when it comes to bettering the quality of life,” he said. "President Lukashenko reacts to messages our population sends us. A good portion of inquiries is about co-operating with government authorities in order to improve the urban infrastructure.”
The MP pointed out that modest amounts have been earmarked for that in the Minsk budget, but government financing for city courtyard landscaping can be secured via popular self-organisation forms like territorial public self-government committees, and people have been using that support extensively.
The way Belarusian cities look today is not only thanks to the government effort, Mr. Shpakovsky emphasised.
“We see that residents themselves often landscape areas around their apartment blocks, hosting relevant district-wide competitions,” he said.
The MP also made a point that, despite the global turbulence, the Belarusian authorities keep setting ambitious goals for themselves.
“During our meetings with the population, we emphasise repeatedly that the international conditions are challenging for Belarus right now. The West keeps waging an economic war on us, doing their best to stymie and limit our development. We have proven once again that we are ready to implement strategic infrastructure projects: the Year of Improvement, the first one in the five-year period of quality, started with switching Minsk fully to artesian water supply. That was symbolic in a sense: setting the bar lower is not an option, we are going to move forward despite all the challenges we might face on the way,” he said.
The goals Belarus sets for itself, however, will be hard to achieve without socially responsible businesses and grassroots efforts, Mr. Shpakovsky added.
“Before calling a hotline to demand that things be made better, please think first about what you’ve done yourself to ‘tidy up your planet’. No one wants to threaten large companies in order to make them invest in healthcare or education. If they earn large profits in Belarus, they have to help those who help them operate comfortably: government organisations. It’s our common goal. There are not that many of us, just over 9 million, so we can’t afford to skirt our civic duty. We are counting that the majority of Belarusian think in heathy ways and support improvement initiatives government authorities come up with," he concluded.
“I can say there’s a public demand for improvement, co-operation with the government when it comes to bettering the quality of life,” he said. "President Lukashenko reacts to messages our population sends us. A good portion of inquiries is about co-operating with government authorities in order to improve the urban infrastructure.”
The MP pointed out that modest amounts have been earmarked for that in the Minsk budget, but government financing for city courtyard landscaping can be secured via popular self-organisation forms like territorial public self-government committees, and people have been using that support extensively.
The way Belarusian cities look today is not only thanks to the government effort, Mr. Shpakovsky emphasised.
“We see that residents themselves often landscape areas around their apartment blocks, hosting relevant district-wide competitions,” he said.
The MP also made a point that, despite the global turbulence, the Belarusian authorities keep setting ambitious goals for themselves.
“During our meetings with the population, we emphasise repeatedly that the international conditions are challenging for Belarus right now. The West keeps waging an economic war on us, doing their best to stymie and limit our development. We have proven once again that we are ready to implement strategic infrastructure projects: the Year of Improvement, the first one in the five-year period of quality, started with switching Minsk fully to artesian water supply. That was symbolic in a sense: setting the bar lower is not an option, we are going to move forward despite all the challenges we might face on the way,” he said.
The goals Belarus sets for itself, however, will be hard to achieve without socially responsible businesses and grassroots efforts, Mr. Shpakovsky added.
“Before calling a hotline to demand that things be made better, please think first about what you’ve done yourself to ‘tidy up your planet’. No one wants to threaten large companies in order to make them invest in healthcare or education. If they earn large profits in Belarus, they have to help those who help them operate comfortably: government organisations. It’s our common goal. There are not that many of us, just over 9 million, so we can’t afford to skirt our civic duty. We are counting that the majority of Belarusian think in heathy ways and support improvement initiatives government authorities come up with," he concluded.
