MINSK, 15 September (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke about the secret of his many years of successful activity as head of state in an interview with the Russian magazine Razvedchik, BelTA has learned.
The first question to the Belarusian leader concerned his vast experience in public administration, acquired in an extremely complex historical era, and his ability to successfully lead the country throughout this period along the “Belarusian path”, as he called it in his inaugural speech. The president was asked about the secret of success and the most valuable lessons of state-building.
In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned a phrase he once said that “you are not made a president, you are born a president”, and explained the meaning he put into these words. “This is not about higher powers and providence. I am a realist and a pragmatist. It is about how a person, through growing up, gradually develops a conscious love for their country and people - a love rooted ‘in life and the land’ - and the readiness to assume responsibility in the state's time of difficulty and do whatever it takes to prove worthy of their compatriots’ trust. It is about establishing a special connection with one’s people. It is about responsibility for one's political decisions and for exhausting work, with total disregard for everything else,” the president said.
He emphasized: “I have a very high regard for my people. I love my people, my country. For me, the most terrible thing is to let down the people who believed in me. 30 years ago I swore that I would serve them honestly. That is what I am doing. I work, not rule. No matter how difficult it may be.”
The head of state pointed out that the most fateful decisions for the country in Belarus are made taking into account the opinion of the people and their interests, through referendums. “I am accustomed to relying on and leaning on the people in everything. I am deeply convinced that only they have the right to decide their own fate. This is the essence of the ancient Slavic tradition of our people's rule since the times of the veche [people’s assembly],” the president said.
The main idea with which Aleksandr Lukashenko, as he said, once entered big politics, was to preserve continuity. “There was an internal confidence in the correctness of this course and a demand from society. Therefore, there was support,” he noted. “The people understood: we have our own state, and if we treacherously destroy it, we will have to start from the beginning.”
“Such is the simple formula for success: if you want to grow, to move forward – take into account the will of the people and do not break the foundation built by previous generations,” the president emphasized. “We know how our ancestors lived when they submitted to the laws and interests of other states. We know how the life of Belarusians began to change in the Soviet period. Therefore, in the 1990s, there could be no question of giving the potential created in the BSSR to foreign moneybags-oligarchs. Not for any amount of money. The people would not have understood and would not have allowed this to be done.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that he always strived to ensure that Belarusians were happy on their native land, that they themselves managed their own destiny and country. “Even if we do not live richly today, we live with dignity. We live on our own land, we know how to live and what to do based on the resources we have,” he stated.
“Most importantly, we live in a peaceful, calm, and safe country,” the president continued. “Believe me, if there is no peace, if they start shooting and blowing things up in the country – then nothing else will be needed: neither work, nor salary. That is why I never tire of repeating: it is better to work in the field, at the factory, and on the farm, than to wage war in the trenches.”
That is precisely why Belarusians must not relax and become complacent, the head of state is convinced. If they work and preserve unity, they can achieve much. “How we work is how we will live. The main thing is to live in peace and harmony,” the Belarusian leader emphasized. “For this path, millions of our compatriots in the past gave their lives. For this path, Belarusians gave their votes 30 years ago and are voting today. I am faithful to it and will follow it to the end, in order to preserve a sovereign and independent Belarus.”
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