Lukashenka: «Students buy expensive clothes and spend vacations abroad»
- 16.11.2007, 12:38
“We shall move from general benefits to individual aid for those who need it most. And this is not a compulsory measure induced by the alleged economic plight, as some want to present it,” Aliaksandar Lukashenka said at the meeting on state aid for the nation held on Friday.
According to him, “any election – parliamentary or presidential – starts and ends with benefits.” “Everyone spoke for the abolition of the benefits, and if now somebody is displeased I shall ask to recall that time,” A.Lukashenka said.
“General benefits must be abolished, and if somebody needs financial aid it should be individual,” A.Lukashenka emphasized.
The head of state said he has “always been saying the funds will not be wasted on unjustified benefits and privileges.” “A benefit for one is something taken from another,” A.Lukashenka said.
According to him, the task of the state is not to “make gifts of benefits, but to create all the conditions necessary to ensure a good life standard.” “The growing life standard depends on every citizen and all kinds of parasitical sentiments should be ceased,” A.Lukashenka emphasized.
He said “we have faced a change of notions.” “A benefit is not a rise of salary, pension, or scholarship for everyone. This is an individual aid,” A.Lukashenka said.
In particular, he said “students are different.” “One student can afford expensive clothes and traveling abroad, while another student goes to the village every weekend to help the parents in their garden, to make both ends meet,” A.Lukashenka said.
In this regard, as A.Lukashenka emphasized, a bill on individual social aid has been elaborated. “I stress it once again: the state doesn’t refuse to give social aid, but this aid must be flexible, differentiated, defined by the circumstances faced by a particular person who cannot compete at the labour-market or has other reasons for a low life standard,” A.Lukashenka said.
At the same time he said that “the bill cannot lead to the restoration of the abolished benefits.” According to him, recently “it has been discussed that the benefits are to be compensated with individual social aid.” “This will not happen,” A.Lukashenka said.
Moreover, the head of state believes “the decree must be scrutinized properly.” Lukashenka assumed that when the decree will come into force “we shall see all the drawbacks which are to be fixed.” “The decree must be monitored for at least one year, we must digest it all,” Lukashenka said.