Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 26 July (BelTA) – The best and most experienced people should become civil servants, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the session held on 26 July to discuss the expansion of social and legal guarantees for civil servants and the steps to raise the prestige of civil service.

The head of state stressed that the implementation of large-scale projects, fulfillment of certain decisions largely depends on the professionalism of executive personnel. “If there are good executives in the country, there will be development and prospects. Therefore, there are exclusive quality standards in civil service. We need broad-minded specialists who can determine strategic tasks and correctly evaluate the consequences of their decisions. But first of all, a civil servant is a personal with high moral principles,” the president believes.

In his opinion, there should be no corruption in the state apparatus. “I think that you and all people are aware of my policy in this regard,” the head of state said. “There are no extraordinary or unexpected conditions for civil servants. I always say that this is a corner stone of my presidential campaign.”

Alexander Lukashenko said that a large-scale optimization of the number of civil servants has been conducted recently. “The number has been reduced by one fourth and now slightly exceeds 30,000,” he said.

At the same time, the president said that there is a negative trend in civil service when it takes months or even years to select candidates for vacant positions. “Therefore, we must decide how to attract the best and experienced civil servants,” President Alexander Lukashenko said. “The government was instructed to submit corresponding proposals to make civil service more prestigious and attractive.”

The head of state asked those present at the meeting whether the proposed measures will help raise the efficiency of civil service. Attention will be drawn to the financial side of the matter. “If you have proposals to raise financial incentives and salaries of civil servants, do not even ask. This issue has been solved once and for all,” Alexander Lukashenko said. The participants of the session also discuss the institution of the medal for impeccable civil service.