Opinion: sovereign Belarus formed thanks to Lukashenko

After the USSR collapse, Belarus was not in its best condition, but largely thanks to President Aleksandr Lukashenko it has overcome negative points – as stated by Aleksei Belyaev, the Dean of the Journalism Department of at the Belarusian State University, in his talk with Alfa Radio

"Belarus has managed to achieve serious success on international platforms and present itself as a sovereign state that other countries recognise and respect,” the expert stressed. “Even the sanctions imposed against Belarus and the pressure that is being exerted on the republic confirm its sovereignty and indicate that Belarusians cannot be forced to do something. Of course, the role of the Head of State is very important here. It also matters that a political system with a strong leader has been created in Belarus, that he – thanks to his qualities and will – has managed to overcome the crisis phenomena which the republic faced after the USSR collapse, that Belarus has become what it is thanks to the personal will of Aleksandr Lukashenko, that the republic’s voice is heard in the world, that the Belarusian leader is called a friend and representatives of the great powers communicate with him on an equal basis. This is actually the merits of our unique political system and the Head of State.”

Speaking in more detail about what a strong presidential power is, even regardless of a particular person, Mr. Belyaev noted, “This is a specific management model with one decision-making centre, where all instructions are carried out unconditionally, where (if anything happens) the possibility of monitoring and punishing those responsible is available – and the latter is a very serious factor spurring middle and lower level managers to fulfil their obligations. A hierarchical system – though based on the principles of democracy – is operational. No matter how they try to accuse us of authoritarianism and autocracy, we see that a political system (which Max Weber predicted) is developing in line with the classical model in our country. Back in the early 20th century, Mr. Weber said that huge bureaucracy is probably the main problem of Western democracy. Democracy and bureaucracy are interconnected, and it is very difficult to overcome this bureaucracy. What is democracy? It is observed when laws are adopted, and everyone must follow them. The minor institutions start working, and they begin to rule over people, subordinate and govern everything. In this case, an ordinary person turns virtually into a bug, being unable to do anything without this red tape. Therefore, we are not surprised that, in some democratic countries, a consultation with the doctor may take place up to eighteen months after the appointment: the philosophy there is that a doctor is also a person, and he is to be pitied, so a patient can wait. There are huge bureaucratic procedures for obtaining documents, for some notarial actions and other similar things there, not to mention the adoption of laws: in these ‘democratic’ societies, a regulation may pass through several committees, with an interval of up to six months, and such long-lasting discussions often result in the situation that the law is no longer needed. In turn, Belarus cannot allow such a situation to happen. Ours is an efficient and well-managed system, and all decisions are made quickly. At the same time, our citizens are constantly in contact with the Head of State, who controls the bureaucratic apparatus, places strict demands and simultaneously communicates with ordinary people to learn from them in which direction the country needs to develop. Just think of all Belarusian referendums where fateful decisions were made. Since recently, another constitutional body — the Belarusian People's Congress – has become operational. Belarus has actually built a very interesting system aimed at working effectively, making decisions quickly and in the interests of the population, and so that officials – following our citizens’ opinion – work rather than create a mess.”

In addition, the expert drew attention to the role of personality in history, “The formation of sovereign Belarus is connected with Lukashenko, who has been serving the state and people for over thirty years of his presidency. Look at the recent working schedule of Aleksandr Lukashenko. He can, for example, take part in the parade in the morning, fly to another country in a different time zone to meet with a large number of leaders in the midday, conduct effective negotiations, and ensure that the country is accepted into the organisation [SCO]… The President has very serious physiological, mental and intellectual stresses. There are very few people able to cope with such a burden for three decades – moreover, considering the state the country was in after the USSR collapse.”