Lukashenko: government policies toward citizens must be open and honest

The executives must pursue open and honest policies towards citizens. President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko gave such an instruction to government officials, when addressing personnel matters on May 22nd.

The head of state asked officials to act carefully with their subordinates, “There should not be any rush. Now are not those days, the mid-1990s, when we had empty shelves. At that time we needed tough, principled, and instant decisions. That is the reason the referendum was held on the powers of the President. Today the time is different. We should not solve these issues in a rush. We need to approach people very carefully. These are our people. It is necessary to find a place for each person.”

In particular, the President drew attention to the fact that the Academy of Sciences will now be headed by another person — Vladimir Karanik. However, we mustn’t disregard the former head, Vladimir Gusakov, who had worked in this position for many years and accomplished much, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed, “We’re not disregarding him. He has plenty of experience and knowledge. We don’t have many people like that — and we cannot lose such people. So be very careful with people, don't push and pressure them. Treat people with respect, don’t put people off or turn them away. There should be no bureaucracy and red tape. When someone approaches you, give them a clear answer - yes or no. Handle people with care. Don't kick problems upstairs. I'm not avoiding them, but if they're within your responsibility, you solve them. Don't hurt people. If they ask for help — help them. If they don't need it — let them handle it. There should be an open and honest policy towards people. That's the most important thing for you. Yes, sometimes they ask questions that are not your responsibility and there are professional complainers. We need to work with these people as well and find an approach to them. It’s our destiny, our life. You represent me locally and your mistakes reflect directly on the President. Check TikTok and social media… So let’s align our policy and approach in such a way that it would be normal and comfortable to work.”