Anatoly Shumchanka: There will be no miracles!

What are individual entrepreneurs going to do after the meeting with Aliaksandr Lukashenka and postponement of the ban on selling goods of light industry without documentation before January 1, 2016?

Let us recall that earlier such ban should have taken effort in Belarus since March 1, 2015; however, the authorities decided to postpone it for later.

How will individual entrepreneurs live and work now, “EuroBelarus” Information Service asked Anatol Shumchanka, the leader of the RPA “Perspective”:

- The first result of the meeting with Lukashenka was that in became hard to get a place to go to Moscow for buying goods next day, as everyone rushed there. But we can imagine what will happen on January 1, 2016. Only naïve people might think that something might change. The problem of March 1 will switch to the problem of January 1; there will be no miracles!

- I.e. no one will draw up documents for goods and no one will be changing profiles either?

- No, only few people will do that. This is the mentality of our nation. Lukashenka won’t put up with it.

- Does it mean that all suggestions of Vice PM Andrei Kabiakou to buy goods at warehouses inside Belarus and miraculous?

- We cooperated with Andrei Kabiakou since 2005, but all our suggestions were buried. The government showed no interest in it. And this time everything will repeat in detail. And well, if the authorities want to create equal conditions for business, why don’t they close the border with Russia. Now large business has preferences from trade with Russia, whereas individual entrepreneurs don’t. But if the state wants to earn money by trading with Russia, why does it deprive us from this opportunity? In general, the fact that the large business and individual entrepreneurs should have equal business conditions is a cover, as we don’t present competition for the large business. And by the way, why does this large business earn money by building and leasing areas for entrepreneurs instead of producing goods that we bring from abroad?

- What is “Perspective” going to do before January?

- The same thing that we used to do. Now we are preparing to hold a forum in spring and at this forum we will be drawing results and make decisions. We will visit the regions, organize meetings, elaborate the program for a presidential candidate, and organize a contest for the best region in Belarus for entrepreneurship. I.e. we will keep abreast of the situation.