MINSK, 9 March (BelTA) – Reforms in the party system should pursue solely the national interests of Belarus, Nikolai Shchekin, PhD of Philosophy, Head of the Sociology of Public Administration Department at the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, said in an interview with BelTA.
He recalled that at the 6th Belarusian People's Congress, the president suggested taking a rational approach to the reforms in the party system and changes in social development.
“Debates in the expert community have acquired a perspective - an ideological and political struggle and an open public political process. We are talking about at least several formats of the future party system in the country: multi-party or at least bipartisanship, and several systemic parties. In this regard, state state public associations merit close attention too,” the analyst said. “Let's be frank, the modern party structure is out of touch with the real life of people and does not play a role in economic matters. The parties themselves and their leaders are to blame for that. Moreover, I fully share the president's concerns about the risks. Parties should not be a factor for achieving partisan interests and a source of their own gain, let alone a mechanism of outside interference. It is no secret that in almost all countries parties have become a tool for lobbying the interests of the financial and banking elites, promoting the interests of multinational corporations and a cover for corruption schemes.”
Nikolai Shchekin believes that the reforms should be aimed at strengthening the horizontal structure of power. In general, all breakthrough solutions in state social projects cannot be implemented without the participation of public organizations.
“State public organizations, such as Belaya Rus, Znanie and others need to be part of social processes, as they work directly with people, know people's needs, and can monitor the progress in the implementation of state decisions. If we talk about the transformation of Belaya Rus into a party, I think both the conditions and the culture of party building should naturally mature for this, with a clear understanding of the goals and objectives for the near future. Setting up a party for the sake of the party or for achieving immediate gains may negatively affect the overall development of Belarus. It is counterproductive to model Belarus' party system on that of other countries. All political parties in Belarus should be patriotic and pursue the main goal, which is the prosperity and further development of the country. The supposed transformation of Belaya Rus into a party is not a simple process and, in my opinion, it should meet the following objectives. First, it needs to set in motion the social lifts; second, the party can become a breeding ground for a new government elite; third, the new party must nurture the country's future leaders ; fourth, the party must have a good expertise to work our practical solutions in state building. The transformation of the political system means the development of laws contributing to the implementation of constitutional amendments, which should consolidate the values formed in the country over the past few decades.
