On April 9th, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Directive No. 12 On Implementation of Foundations of the Belarusian State Ideology

The document aims to improve the effectiveness of ideological work and update the regulatory legal framework governing the ideological sphere. The directive provides for the approval of the conceptual foundations of the ideology of the Belarusian state, the promotion of an understanding of the statehood of the Belarusian people shared by the whole society, the unification of approaches to conducting ideological work with the population and its evaluation, the obligation to implement the ideology of the Belarusian state in all spheres and business entities regardless of the form of ownership, and ensuring the involvement of citizens employed in the private sector of the national economy in the pro-government information and ideological space.

At the request of a correspondent from SB. Belarus Segodnya, Deputy Head of the President Administration Vladimir Pertsov commented on Directive No. 12 On Implementation of Foundations of the Belarusian State Ideology, signed by the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, on April 9th

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“The time for such a document has objectively come. The President has frequently returned to the issues of ideology, national idea, values and meanings recently. Engaging in ideology, propaganda and counter-propaganda was a direct instruction from the Head of State.
  In short, such a document was necessary in order to:
— describe the concept of statehood in clear and understandable language, to standardise approaches to the organisation and conduct of ideological work with people; 
— communicate the state agenda to citizens employed in the private sector of the economy.
Republican and regional state bodies, expert and academic communities, representatives of mass media and civil society were all involved in the work.
A working group was established under the Belarus President Administration, which brought down to a common denominator a huge number of proposals, opinions and positions. Yet the main criterion was one — to proceed from real life. This Presidential principle helped to discard everything superficial, artificial and contrived. Therefore, in my opinion, the document turned out to be as practically oriented as possible.
In essence, the directive, as a programmatic decree, addresses key tasks: 
— it defines the ideological guidelines of Belarusian society at the current stage of development; 
— it reveals the mechanism for implementing ideological work; 
— it establishes an assessment of the effectiveness of ideological work. 
For understanding: until today, we have been guided in ideological work by documents from 2003 and 2004, which are clearly outdated for working in modern realities. 
Furthermore, approaches to ideological work vary from region to region. We have tried to summarise best practices and establish unified approaches in practical areas of ideological work. 
What is even more important in the directive is the foundations of the ideology of Belarusian society that it affirms. This is a kind of primer for citizens of the country. It is a concise and succinct description of the life of Belarusian society and the state through the prism of the past, present and future. Emphasis is placed on understanding Belarusian meanings and narratives. 
At the same time, I want to say to all critics: we are not talking about imposing some kind of uniformity of thought; we are talking about the need for citizens of the country to have clear, understandable knowledge of the fundamentals of life in their country. There should not be any confusion in people’s minds!

If we want to nurture citizens who are thoughtful, patriotic, and ready to defend their country if necessary, who clearly understand the difference between right and wrong, then appropriate work must be carried out, and corresponding ideals and values must be promoted in society. And we will do that.

Belarusian youth singing the national anthem of Belarus                 belta

Our so-called Western teachers are well aware of this. They impose principles of pluralism on us, while at home they introduce punishments, including criminal ones, for attempts to revise established truths about the history and modernity of their statehood.
It is impossible to imagine a German, an Italian, or a Pole discussing the advisability of the unity of their states, or any alternative approaches to understanding their past. Such a thought simply does not exist and cannot exist — the concept of statehood is so thoroughly and clearly formed and so effectively implemented through all spheres of life.
The same unambiguous assessments must exist here [in Belarus] as well. In conclusion, if we talk about the key aspects of the directive, it is worth noting that the document:
— defines the concept, purpose, tasks, and main forms of ideological work, as well as the subjects of its implementation; 
— establishes key approaches to organising ideological work in labour collectives; 
— extends the obligation to implement the foundations of the Belarusian state ideology in all spheres and business entities regardless of their ownership structure.
Personal responsibility for the state of ideological work rests with the head of the labour collective or industry.”

Vyacheslav Danilovich, deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Doctor of Historical Sciences,
“Directive No. 12 On Implementation of Foundations of the Belarusian State Ideology signed by the President corresponds to the challenges facing our society and state in the context of hybrid warfare and the formation of a multipolar world order. The President has approved the foundations of the ideology of the Belarusian state, which contain ideas about the formation of the Belarusian nation, which belongs to the East Slavic civilisation. The importance of patriotism, traditional spiritual and moral values, social justice, a socially oriented economic policy, and a reasonable balance of various forms of ownership and management are emphasised. 
After the collapse of the USSR, Belarus found itself in a severe socio-economic and socio-political crisis. It was then that, at the suggestion of Western advisors, we pursued a policy of three Ds: decommunisation, de-ideologisation, and democratisation. Some people believed the nonsense that a state can exist without an ideology. Yet history convincingly demonstrates that if a country abandons its own ideology, it automatically embarks on the path of losing its sovereignty, degradation, and self-destruction. History and ideology are two sides of the same coin. Without reliance on the experience of the past, it is impossible to build a constructive ideology, while it is the basis of politics. Therefore, the collective West is so eager to distort the events of the past in order to force us to implement policies that correspond to their interests.”

The full text of Directive No. 12 On Implementation of Foundations of the Belarusian State Ideology can be found on the official internet portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus: https://president.gov.by

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by