WHAT TO WISH CHILDREN?

In April in the message of president to the National Assembly a great task on transition of Belarus from undeveloped to a leading country was formulated. A. Lukashenko, using a sport terminology, explained that this task should have two stages of performing. The first stage is to become a member of "the race after the leader", the second one is to lead a direct struggle for leadership. The role of executor he attributed to a person, "a subject of economy", who must be economically reliable, with initiative and responsible for well-being of corresponding branch and people working in it.

To achieve such substantial characteristics "the subject of economy" should have support from the state. For this he should destroy all unnecessary barriers built by him at the very starting and running a business. The work in this direction has already been started, and A. Lukashenko presented a detailed list to the deputies: "Today a new business in our country can be registered in 5 days. The initial capital to start a business has been lowered twice. The list of documents necessary for registration has been shortened to a reasonable minimum. The procedure of licensing has been simplified. It is important to put all these into practice in order it to be real".

He himself gave assessment to the first results: "So many progressive ideas were taken into consideration, but the situation improves slowly. And the reason does not lie in the fact that there is no freedom for business in the country, that there is no juridical basis". The reason, according to the opinion of the head of the state, is in the state apparatus which "has bogged down in corruption".

The public opinion poll of June showed the first findings. Table 1 shows that the society doesn't see any improvements of the situation, even very slow ones. The rate of optimists has fallen by 11.4 points, and the rate of those who noted the raise of governmental control has remarkably increased (+15.2 points).

Data of Table 2 allow us to analyze not only opinions but facts too. The facts say that the number of people running private businesses has not changed. And the number of people speaking about their eagerness to start a business stays the same. In our opinion the data given should be considered one of the main characteristics of a "Belarusian economy scheme of development". The scheme has been presented but, as it appears, the development of economy doesn't work.

The analysis of data from Table 2 is not consoling and this tendency can be also traced in answers of respondents to the question: "Do you want your children to start a business and participate in running a private enterprise all their life?" As it can be seen from Table 3 the number of such people has decreased by 14 points for the last two years. The attention should be also paid to the last two columns of Table which allow us to give assessment to the answers of people who trust and distrust the head of the state.

On the one hand, it is not surprising that people who are for running a business are among those distrusting President. And it should be noticed that to this category of people belong mostly young and educated ones. But on the other hand, it is the supporters of A. Lukashenko who believe the official words, and today all these words are in favour of entrepreneurship. It can't but should be mentioned. Everything depends on inertness of the process. Only when some time passes those trusting A. Lukashenko will adjust to a new reality.

Along with it, negative attitude of many of Belarusians to entrepreneurship is due not only to the absence of corresponding conditions, but much is determined by ideological heritage of the past. The words of the song popular at the time of Perestroika say: "To be rich and not to steal, of course, if it is possible". The Belarusians even now don't believe that it is possible to become rich working hard. That causes envy. It should be justified "the Belarusian economy scheme of development" provides an opportunity to preserve emerged in the past stereotypes.

But the percentage of people demonstrating their respect to those who recently became rich is slowly rising (Table 4). But at the same time the rate of respondents adhering traditional tendency doesn't decrease. That's why the growing numbers are due mainly to decreasing numbers of those unable to answer (by three times for the last ten years).

There is also some difference in attitude to rich compatriots among Belarusians, trusting and distrusting A. Lukashenko. But this difference is not considerable as it should have been expected to be. It can’t be excluded that a great percentage of citizens seeing rich people as petty thieves and distrusting A. Lukashenko is explained not by ideological archaism but by the level of being informed.

As it is known there first came a word. But very often it was followed by words and words not by actions. It is the very situation in Belarus of today. The authorities, of course, understand the importance of reforms (economical, at least). Now the state is embodying its understanding into numerous laws in an active way. But there are no real changes followed because the authorities appear to be the only main source of reforms. The attempts to make "subjects of economy" work hard have failed. Possessing no political rights such subjects are more likely to play the role of objects. That is why there is no need to expect innovations from them.

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