Sudden freedom a painful change
By BILL BARTLEMAN - the PADUCAH SUN
Copyright - 1995, Paxton Media GroupBill Bartleman has been a reporter for The Paducah Sun
since 1972 and has covered government and politics since
1975. The following contains his opinions and observations..
VYBORG, RUSSIA - Russia still suffers from the pains of overnight transition from a communist dictatorship to a free and open society.
Time will tell whether the free society will survive, or whether communism will return in some form.
It is important to understand that Russian citizens have never had the opportunity to think and make decisions on their own. Even before communist rule began in 1917, their lives were controlled by the czar.
The economy appears to be on the brink of collapse. Inflation has wiped out what little wealth and buying power the people had. In 1992, an American dollar was equal to about 200 Russian rubles. Two weeks ago, it was 4,480 rubles to a dollar. Russians had no material possessions under communism. We were told that what they did have was the government-provided security of a home, a job, income and food. Today, under the free society, many don't have those securities.
Jobs and housing are hard to find and food is scarce. Promises of higher wages for government jobs have not been fulfilled. Some workers and citizens are getting restless.
The nation's 500,000 school teachers staged a walkout the day before we arrived. They were protesting salaries as low as $35 per month and unfulfilled promises for raises.
Russia suffers from decades of neglect. We were told that 80 percent of government funds went for space exploration and the military during the 1960s, '70s and '80s.The indifference to human needs has left Russia with a failing infrastructure and staggering environmental damage.
A newspaper story described a children's hospital administrator in St. Petersburg who complained that the government would not turn on the city's central heating system. He said he longed for the days of communist rule, when he could be guaranteed that the heat would be turned on no later than every Sept. 15.
A story in the paper a week later reported that the government turned on the heat, but turned off the city's central hot water system because it couldn't afford both.
In Vyborg, the government started building a seven-story hospital in the mid-1980s. After the fall of communism five years ago, the government ran out of money and abandoned the project, even though it appeared to be 70 percent complete.
Most Russian people don't know how to live under a free- market society. Given a choice of freedom or guaranteed food, jobs and housing, many - especially older Russians - would take the latter. They were never motivated to work or think for themselves because the government provided for them and told them what to do.
Under communist rule, children took tests and the government decided their professions; education was free. Now, many Russian students have a difficult time deciding their professions and can't afford college.
It appears to be up to the younger generation to make the free society work. We met a young woman who said she has learned that working hard and being aggressive has financial rewards.
She gave up a government job as a chemical engineer to become a tour guide and interpreter. She said she makes more than four times the salary in her new profession.
The country also suffers from lack of strong government leadership needed to promote and protect capitalism. As the government has given up control, the Russian mafia has taken over, we were told. On one trip through Vyborg, we passed a small store that had been burned. We were told the owner didn't agree to accept the mafia's "invitation" to become a partner in the business.
A new Russian parliament will be elected in December and there is speculation that the communist party will gain a significant number of seats because people are struggling under capitalistic society.
There are so many political parties in Russia that none will have a majority control in the central government. However, the communists could become the most influential.
Some of the Christians, missionaries and ministers we met were not optimistic that freedom will survive. One man, a Christian for almost 50 years, said he sees the current religious freedom as nothing more than a window of opportunity that eventually will close. The military has a strong presence almost everywhere, especially in Vyborg.
Russian citizens have to carry passports to move around the country. Some are still forbidden to travel to certain regions without special government permission.
Some Russians still appear to fear they are being watched by the government and are hesitant in doing religious evangelism on the streets. They watched in amazement those of us from the United States walked through train and bus terminals passing out Bibles and religious tracts.
We asked about the health of the KGB, Russia's master spy agency. We were taken to a building and told the KGB had offices there. "They are just operating under another name and have been divided into two groups," we were told. "Nothing has changed."
People in Russia do very little long-term planning. In fact, someone joked before we left that long-term planning in Russia is two days. We didn't laugh. People don't think about the future. They just worry about where their next meal is coming from. They don't worry about tomorrow until tomorrow comes.
Strong leadership and an attitude change might save the free society. For now, it's hard to convince people who are hungry that the freedom is good for them.
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