Aliaksandr Lukashenka, during today’s appointments to senior posts, said he regretted the absence of a party hierarchy in Belarus.
“We must protect our country from upheavals and wars so that we can calmly and steadily do our work. And so that Belarus continues to develop at the pace it is now. So that it remains a beautiful and comfortable place for our people to live. We have everything we need,” he said, according to his press service.
Continuing his remarks to the newly appointed officials, Lukashenka recalled the Communist Party hierarchy in the Soviet Union.
“I am talking to you about the economy and the organisation of your work, but do not forget that you are also politicians in your respective regions. Unfortunately, there are no district party committees anymore. Today I already feel this shortcoming. Back then, at the local level… There was a lot of nonsense, but the party bodies monitored what was happening. And look: China adopted our system. It is developing properly because the system works. No one there engages in wishful thinking,” he said.
It should be noted that this is not the first time Lukashenka has expressed regret over the absence of a party hierarchy. In recent years, the authorities established the Belaya Rus party, based on the public association of the same name. It had been expected that Belaya Rus would become Belarus’s ruling party, but its role has not significantly expanded. Lukashenka continues to rely on the power vertical built around him rather than on party structures, even though he has repeatedly spoken publicly about regretting the loss of the former system.
“I know that after this remark I will be criticised for supposedly following in China’s footsteps. Unfortunately (I recently told Xi Jinping this), we lost that path. Even if we wanted to, we are unlikely to follow in China’s footsteps now.
But we will face very serious tasks. Political ones, and, especially in the south, ensuring the security of our people. I must say that Ivan Ivanavich Krupko has done a good job in this respect. The authorities in the Brest region are also not shying away from these issues. Not to mention the Hrodna region, where a general is in charge. So we will have to deal with these issues as well. Such is our life,” Lukashenka concluded.
