MINSK, 21 May (BelTA) – The public wants to have truly efficient local self-governance, Chairman of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich has said in an interview with the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper, BelTA has learned.
“People would like to have truly efficient local self-governance bodies, be it one-man bodies (elders, village chiefs) or collective bodies (councils, committees) set up in the territory of residential neighborhoods, housing complexes, street quarters, streets, yards, agro-towns, villages,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said. He emphasized that government agencies should create the necessary conditions for them to work and should delegate them some functions. “MPs and corresponding local executive committees can and must help them,” he said.
Mikhail Myasnikovich noted that in many cases people are able to resolve their issues on their own instead of waiting for the government to help them. “In this regard it is of paramount importance to promote local self-governance. After all, this is a good instrument for increasing civic participation, promoting an active dialogue between the government and the public, reviving and preserving cultural values, national customs and traditions and fostering creativity. All in all, this will help spur people on to action. Today many tasks, for example those that have to do with area improvement, do not require a lot of resources or involvement of the government. People are absolutely capable of resolving these issues on their own. The most important thing is to uphold such initiatives,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.
He commented on the findings of an opinion poll of the National Academy of Sciences. The results of the survey suggest that Belarusians deem it necessary to improve the system of local government and self-governance. Three quarters of respondents in Minsk are in favor of reforms. The figure stands at about two thirds in Brest Oblast and Minsk Oblast. “It is good that people assess the work of local self-governance bodies and put forward proposals and initiatives aimed at improving it. This means that the system works, produces results. Sometimes these are not the results people want, but feedback greatly helps us identify the bottlenecks and remove drawbacks,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.
