Lukashenko’s Ideology Versus Russian Ruble :: Charter'97 :: News

Following the statement, voiced by Vladimir Putin, that ruble will turn into a Belarusian currency unit in January 2005 (ushering in the true unification of Russia and Belarus), Alexander Lukashenko determined to strengthen the people’s national conscience and identity. He signed a decree “On the system of state bodies and other organizations, carrying out ideological work in the Republic of Belarus”. Now in all labor teams there will be introduced the posts of chief ideologists, while all the country’s universities will teach a new discipline “Fundamentals of the Belarusian state ideology”.

“We conceptually defined what our ideology should be like and today it is vital that we provide for a daily progress forward on the local level, on the concrete places of the ideological frontline,” – said Alexander Lukashenko. To ensure this progressive movement forward at the companies, employed by 300 and over people and collective farms with over 150 employees, they will now introduce the “deputy heads of ideology” posts. The towns and district centers will again be visited by the lecturers from the “Znanie” society, who will clarify to the masses the key provisions of the presidential policy. In villages, which can’t be frequently attended by these lecturers, there will be formed the ideological apparatus, which will then organize political studies on a weekly basis.

If you remember, after Alexander Lukashenko’s coming to power in 1994 Belarus received an image of a “colony of socialism”. Lukashenko returned the old, Soviet state symbols, reanimated the planned economy, restored the totalitarian system of governance and finally set his mind to conquer the people’s conscience. At first, they set up an ideological system, introducing chief ideologists in the presidential administration and all regional, urban and district executive councils. Upon Lukashenko’s directive there were reanimated pioneer organizations, as well as the Belarusian Republic’s Youth Union, which is called “lukomol” for its resemblance after the Soviet “komsomol”. However, it is the youth, which constitutes the main share of opposition parties and movements, voting out Lukashenko at the presidential ballot. The Belarusian leader realizes well that resting solely on the support of pensioners he can no longer retain power.