Expert: To let economists to the government is dangerous

On April 10 President Alexander Lukashenko has appointed Mikhail Rusy as Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, who previously headed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

Leonid Marinich is appointed as Acting Minister.

Positions of Deputy prime minister remained vacant after the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Valery Ivanov as General Director of CJSC "Belarusian Potash Company".

As www.interfax.by informs, during the appointment, referring to Michael Rusy, Lukashenko said that he did not hesitate while taking this personnel decision.

"You not just has no need to get on the inside, but you thoroughly know the main area of ​​your responsibility - the agro-industrial complex, including not only agriculture", the president said.

Famous Belarusian economist, head of the Analytic Center "Strategy" Leanid Zaika says the appointment of Rusy as Deputy Prime Minister is quite logical.

Firstly, the former head of the Ministry of Agriculture is "Executive person, obedient and loyal".

"Loyal- it is very important, because loyalty to the country's is valuable", Leonid Zaika said, commenting on the decision of the President to UDF.BY website. "This is an executor, he will do everything that needs to be done".

Secondly, the economist notes, Rusy does not pretend to any higher office.

"And thirdly is the tradition. In Belarus, agrarians engineers are mainly in the government. And there are no economists. That's why he was appointed. Deputy Prime Minister is an agrarian, vice-premier is an engineer and Deputy Prime Minister is a lawyer - this is our tradition. But to let in there economists is dangerous. They will start to do something", Leonid Zaika said.

The economist said that Mikhail Rusy was among the first students of the World Bank School, which was headed b Zaika in 1993.

"He was very careful, attentive listener, he was present at school", the expert remembered. "I hope that as a deputy prime minister, he will remember the lectures, which he read, including important provisions of the economic theory, macroeconomics and economic policy. I was even glad that the man who taught by me, became the deputy prime minister".