Karahin: Young people would rather work for KGB than set their own business

The head of Minsk union of entrepreneurs Uladzimir Karahin visited many Belarusian towns and cities, including Mahileu, Maladzechna, Babruisk, Rahachou, Zhlobin, Ashmiany, Hrodna, Smaliavichy, in February 2011. He has told the journalists about his impressions in this regard.

Karahin: “I have a very hard feeling after this trip. Last year I also took a tour around all the cities... But today it is obvious that people are feeling down, they are not optimistic at all. An unbelievable fear seized the society. I would like to underline - I have never seen such tension before. An unbelievable pressure and tension...”

People do not want to speak about the positive business examples, even if there are such. We have come to such situation when there is no one to participate in a "Best Entrepreneur" contest, Karahin says:

“People often ask me to give positive examples of productive entrepreneurship. And there are such examples. However, if you only knew how the entrepreneurs beg me not to reveal their names, not to make them public... “Give us an opportunity to work... We are scared”... There is a contest "Best Entrepreneur of the Country" going on at the moment.Thousands of absolutely worth structures refuse to take part in it”.

Uladzimir Karahin thinks that such pessimistic mood of the entrepreneurs may be connected with their overstated expectations from the Directive No. 4.

The state leader signed the Directive No. 4 "On development of the entrepreneur initiative and stimulation the business activity” on December 31, 2010. The document was supposed to liberalize the economy. However, according to Karahin, it is unclear when it happens:

“January has passed and everyone sees that a whole year shoud pass before the Directive is fulfilled… About 1 000 legal acts should be abolished only in the sphere of price formation. On the whole, more than 5000 laws and decrees should be amended in order the Directive to be implemented into practice in the next few years. The entrepreneurs realise that it will work only in 2012, but no one knows how…”.

Moreover, the state keeps on breaking the Directive's requirements, Karahin thinks.

Karahin: “Enterprises of any proprietary form are still ordered which goods to produce and in which quantity…”

The union of enrepreneurs has received the following document, at the time when the head of the State Control Committee assures that no one forces control indices over private enterprises.

“They call to every enterprise in Homel region saying – 90% of goods in the shops should be produced in Homel region. Don't you dare buy goods in other regions. We have such calls recorded”, – Uladzimir Karahin says about violation of the Directive.

As a result, the number of people wishing to establish their own businesses has decreased recently, Karahin has noted:

“If 50-60 % of people raised their hands when I asked who wanted to have their own business, in the audiences, now only 10-15 people out of 100 declare their wish to take over such a burden”.

According to the head of the union of entrepreneurs, young people are willing to work in the control bodies, in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, the Customs Committee...

Let us remind you, the All-Peoples congress of entrepreneurs "Assembly of Business Circles of Belarus" will take place in Minsk on March 2. More than 350 entrepreneurs of the country will take part in it. The assembly is to announce the most favourable city of Belarus for making business, and also name 10 steps to solve the entrepreneurs' problems.