MINSK, 12 July (BelTA) – The film “30 years with the people” aired by the Belarusian TV channel STV explained how Belarus was sliding into the abyss in the 1990s and how Aleksandr Lukashenko managed to fix the crisis, BelTA has learned.
In the complicated 1990s logistic and manufacturing cooperation chains were broken. Global goals were absent. The manufacturing sector was about to collapse and thousands of workers could lose their jobs. People were left to deal with their problems on their own. Nobody took the responsibility for running the country. Belarus was being torn apart. Political forces were ready to sell the motherland for money. The West encouraged the privatization of enterprises and tried to impose its own development ideology.
“By 1993 we had over 30 political parties. And what did they say? An overwhelming majority of them were in favor of liberalism, freedom, and democracy. But what did liberalism mean at that time? It meant neocolonial dependence and begging,” Doctor of History, Associate Professor Nikolai Smekhovich said.
“We understand perfectly well possible results of following in footsteps of the ‘civilized’ West. Look at Ukraine, for instance. The country is in ruins. It is involved in a military conflict. The situation is disastrous. Only because they followed only guidelines of the West. Guidelines set by Western ruling elites,” noted Vyacheslav Danilovich, a member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus.
Political forces of the early 1990s (those, who are part of the state machine, and nationalists) pretended they could not see what the country was coming to after the USSR collapse. Empty shop shelves, coupons for foods and non-foods, long queues, hyperinflation, scalping, and abandoned agricultural enterprises.
“Those, who are on the older side, can remember all those remarkable broadcasts from the Oval Hall where the parliament sat. It was interesting to watch them but what result did they produce? The result was minimal if at all. The country continued sliding into the abyss and no parliamentary democracy could save it. This is why the idea that power must be concentrated was born. The country needed presidency as an institution,” Vyacheslav Danilovich stressed.
The first Constitution of sovereign Belarus was passed on 15 March 1994. It has a chapter dedicated to the president. An election was scheduled. Six people ran for the presidency. Political fighting began.
The candidate Aleksandr Lukashenko was ready to lead the country away from the abyss. He had demonstrated his worth as an uncompromising people’s deputy with his own position and a unique style: direct contact with people. Personal communication allowed him to understand people’s worries. The individual above all. It became the keynote of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s entire political career.
A year ahead of the election he delivered an anti-corruption report in the parliament and said the situation was atrocious. Honesty and openness were his distinguishing qualities. He did not make impossible promises but he understood exactly what the nation needed so that Belarusians could make their own fate in their own land in the independent and sovereign state on their own. It was Aleksandr Lukashenko’s election program.
A president of Belarus was elected on 10 July 1994 – the day the country gained hope for a happy future. Aleksandr Lukashenko won over 80% of the votes in the second tour. Without political party affiliation, without administrative leverage, without financial support from abroad. With assistance from the nation! A man with earthly interests, who understood and felt what was needed for the prosperity of the free and safe country. He wanted to revive enterprises, develop agriculture, and make education and healthcare accessible. Titanic labor but the president was ready to walk the path together with Belarusians.
“People were sick and tired of all the turmoil and uncertainty. People wanted to see order in the country. People wanted a master to run the country. The election agenda of Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko appealed to all the people the most,” noted Chairman of the Legislation and State Construction Commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Rusy.
“Crowds of people went to the polls. They understood that it was the choice of the people,” the MP Irina Dovgalo stressed.
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