MINSK, 3 March (BelTA) – Belarus is known for its effective welfare system, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said at the seminar to discuss appeals and complaints from citizens and legal entities, legislation and its practical application in Minsk on 3 March, BelTA has learned.
“Effective welfare system has become the national brand of Belarus. MPs are in the epicenter of public life in their constituencies. They meet with people, visit enterprises, hold call-in sessions and use other forms of work with citizens on a regular basis,” said Vladimir Andreichenko.
Last year MPs of the House of Representatives made more than 5,500 company visits, held more than 2,000 meetings with individuals, considered more than 10,000 applications. “Besides, the House of Representatives considered more than 3,000 appeals from citizens and legal persons. Most often, the appeals are about the quality of housing and utility services, the state of roads, banking and postal services in the rural areas. People are concerned about the rising prices for staples and medicines. Therefore, MPs should continue to monitor pricing,” the chairman said.
According to Vladimir Andreichenko, most issues can be solved when acting in close cooperation with ministries and departments, local authorities.
“Government bodies need to respond faster to issues, be proactive, and solve problems before they become the subject of an appeal. Many of them can and should be solved at the local level, eliminating a formal approach. If promises are made, they must be honored. However, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that recently the right to appeal has been increasingly used as a tool of psychological pressure on government agencies and officials who perform their duties to protect the sovereignty and independence, to maintain public order and civil peace. I am referring primarily to numerous emailing which often contain language bordering on slander and insulting. Yes, we have to respond to such emails as well. This work, however, diverts much effort from solving problems that really matter to our citizens. I believe that both MPs and our experts have something to say here,” the speaker said.
Vladimir Andreichenko also dwelled on a trend of increasing initiative appeals from citizens with a proposal to check the constitutionality of the provisions of normative acts. “Such appeals have their own specifics, which we will also talk about today. I think that during an open, informative and productive conversation all issues will receive their detailed coverage,” he added.
Attending the seminar were MPs of the Council of the Republic, representatives of the main department on work with applications from citizens and legal persons of the Belarus President Administration, the National Center of Legislation and Legal Research, the State Control Committee, Constitutional Court, the Public Administration Department of the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus, executive and administrative bodies.
