Zaika: Every Belarusian family owes $10 thousand
Alyaksandr Lukashenka mentioned the necessity of better currency regulation in the country on February 25.
The statement was made at the new government’s meeting.
It seems that the state leader is trying to put the blame for the situation on two officials – head of the government Mihail Myasnikovich and head of the National Bank Pyotr Prakapovich. Economist Leanid Zaika has expressed the opinion in an interview with Euroradio.
Zaika: "Lukashenka took time out to watch how the new PM and head of the National Bank would woggle out: the country had finished the year with a $10bn debt. Actually, the last year’s situation has repeated. Furthermore, the wages have increased and people have more ruble resources so they are ready to convert rubles to dollars. Moreover, there were enough idiots who announced that car duties would sky-rocket. I think that people will be actively drawing out foreign currency for the next two months. That is why Lukashenka has pretended that he has two people responsible for it – Myasnikovich and Prakapovich. It looks as if he had nothing to do with it”.
In the expert’s opinion, there is no money in the country and it can only come from Russia. However, Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s relations with the Kremlin are complicated so the PM and the chief banker have been returned guilty.
The state leader noted in his statement that currency regulation would not affect the population. He said that the population did not create any problems with the currency and that the enterprises were “lax”. Yet, Leanid Zaika says that the statement is closet thinking:
Zaika: "The population is rushing to make purchases… The rate of savings is 4.5% and nobody wants to save up rubles. Everyone has rushed and Lukashenka is acting as if the enterprises are to blame. The enterprises are reacting to the fact that people have noticed an increase in the demand for meat, milk, cheese and clothes. The statement that the population has nothing to do with it and that the enterprises are to blame is aimed at those who do not have a notion about the economic situation in Belarus”.
According to the expert, pre-election statements about the stability of the ruble exchange rate are a mere propaganda lure. Zaika notes: the foreign debt is so big that it means that every Belarusian family owes 10 thousand dollars.
