Aleksandr Lukashenko hears out report from Mikhail Myasnikovich, Andrei Kobyakov, Alexander Yakobson

It is necessary to regularly hold major national-level government sessions in Belarus  for the sake of assigning priority tasks to executive personnel. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he heard out a report from Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich, Head of the Belarus President Administration Andrei Kobyakov, and Chairman of the State Control Committee Alexander Yakobson on 9 December.

The meeting was focused on holding a government session on 10 December to discuss ways to resolve problems in the construction industry and improve the management of executive personnel.

“As you know, we are having a serious event tomorrow. Unfortunately, at the top level we have failed to come up with a system to manage executive personnel. We try to take care of it only from time to time. It is good that we raise topical issues for discussion. I say that because we need such a system developed,” said the President. “We once thought about it and even sketched out something. Therefore, we have to make up our minds now. We should hold such events at least every six months”.

“We should hold such events with our active personnel at the level of the president in order to encourage people to accomplish the most important tasks that the society faces. We need a system. And we don’t have such a system now,” noted the head of state.

Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to preparations for the forthcoming session because the entire executive, legislative, and judicial power vertical will be present there. It will be the first time such an event will be held in the Palace of Independence. “What people learn from this event is the key thing,” stressed the Belarusian leader.

The President made several critical remarks regarding the content of the report that had been prepared for his perusal. “I have closely looked at the writing. It is an instruction that lauds Kobyakov’s group. Every single page refers to the group’s performance and great results, its advice and so on five times. First, let me tell you that it is not the president’s job to approve and support although the group may be very effective. Second, we will have to look at the effectiveness of their work once again,” said the head of state.

Addressing the Prime Minister, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that the government should analyze the proposals suggested by the working group in charge of resolving problems in the construction industry. “However great Kobyakov and those he has gathered may be (a lot of work has been done and it is probably effective work), you will be the ones to make decisions. We should start the new year with a new construction industry. An abundance of legislative proposals have been suggested and we need to decide on them today. But the most important thing, it is necessary to think about what decisions and recommendations of the group should be supported and which ones should not. Maybe all of them. I am not disproving anything. This is why it is too early for the president to make a speech at the key event of the year and praise some group,” said the head of state.

Speaking about the content of the prepared report, Aleksandr Lukashenko said it looked like an instruction for the construction industry. “I think it is up to the prime minister and perhaps the minister to issue instructions. Therefore, you have a day to prepare materials, abstracts from the report for me,” said the President.

“The session will take place, we will outline problems, but we will have to start resolving them as from 1 January 2014. God forbid if the construction industry and other branches, too — the construction industry is a lesson for other ones – sprout the same kind of problems that we have witnessed this year and in previous years,” warned the Belarusian leader.

“If you think it is necessary to restore licensing, go ahead. If you want to crank up control, do it. But improper treatment of people’s money is out of the question. If you take money from people, if you promise to build homes at this price within this time, then do so and make quality homes. If you can’t, then pay a compensation, even double the sum so that people would not complain about us. If you commit violations, welcome to the prison,” added Aleksandr Lukashenko.