Leu Marholin: Dictator Can Really Do Nothing

The authorities’ mission to create 50 thousand jobs has been successfully failed already.

Economist Leu Marholin has told this in an interview to charter97.org.

– Lukashenka said recently that only lazy people cannot earn in Belarus. Does this statement justify itself at the background of the current economic situation?

– Surely it doesn’t. It is true, in any country, in any city there always exists an opportunity to earn something, but this opportunity does not always comply with the specialty or qualification of a person. The situation in our country remains approximately the same.

However, recently it has been a significant problem to get any employment here, even as a janitor in Minsk, let alone specialists. Of course, there are understaffed spheres here as well. In particular, doctors, teachers. However, they are understaffed because the wages do not comply with the level of occupancy, the energy input etc. Moreover, not everyone can work in these spheres. If a person doesn’t have a corresponding diploma, they cannot go there. As for the profession of no common qualification, there is a great problem there.

– Lukashenka has started mentioning the work theme often lately.

– It makes me wonder why he hadn’t started making statements on this theme earlier, although there were odd talks now and then. The point is, sociological researches show that the issues of employment and occupation made it to the first priority for the Belarusian citizens. Lukashenka cannot stay aside from this process, as there is nothing real he can do.

According to the statistical data, the mission to create as little as 50 thousand jobs in 2016 has been successfully failed already. The only thing he can do is making cheerful statements, aimed at pacifying the people and letting them know everything is not so bad in the country.

However, the unemployed cannot be pacified by such words. As for the people who still have jobs, they remain worried deep inside that they might lose it, and such “pacifying” statements may work.