MINSK, 17 August (BelTA) – Belarus President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko reminded citizens of the difficult situation in the country in the 1990s as he spoke at a rally of his supporters in Minsk on 16 August, BelTA has learned.
“Indeed, we pursued a tough policy. Indeed, some might not have liked my policy, the government. But you and I supported this policy by adopting a new Constitution in the mid-1990s. You then asked me to put things in order. And I did! You asked for the country without corruption and oligarchs. Where are these oligarchs? You asked to clear the streets of Minsk and roads from gangs. I did it for you!” the Belarusian leader said.
“Thank you!" the protesters shouted in response.
“We did it by force, with an iron will, with the hep of the guys (or their parents) who are being thrown mud at today. We took weapons in our ams. There were not many of us. But we fought against street gangs. There were 32 gangs in Minsk, a huge number on the Brest highway. Those were thieves and bandits who killed people. We removed them from the streets all in six months,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“Today I want to ask that small group of youth protesting in Minsk: have you heard about this? Have you ever heard how these gangs bullied people, how they took away their last money, how they shot people right here, in this square? Do they even know what it cost? They do not know exactly. Probably, their parents did not tell them about it. So I remind you: there were 32 gangs that we put away together with these guys: riot police, police, and soldiers who followed me,” the president said.
He recalled that sometimes parents had no food to feed their children in those years, that people asked for a salary of at least $20. "We gave more. Only a blind person does not see it. Indeed, we are not a rich country. But salaries are much higher than $20. We live as best as we can. We live on our own land,” the head of state noted.
“For Belarus!” the rally chanted.
