Passive populace
Solving the «problems of the people» is the declared raison d’etre of every government. However, as these problems are wide-ranging and never-ending, no government is capable of solving them all and so is condemned to fail in this task. Let us take the example of Interior Ministry reforms, which will ostensibly satisfy the demands of 100,000 contract workers. But there are a total of 250,000 contract workers across all sectors. So, the ministry’s reforms would satisfy 110,000 workers but sorely disappoint the remaining 140,000. And furthermore, they would dent the government’s credibility. For every problem, there is a percentage of dissatisfied citizens which grows over the government’s four-year term, eventually creating a mass of discontented voters. On the other hand, the public’s conviction that it elects its government in order to solve its problems is virtually unshakeable. Everyone hopes that the administration they elect will secure them a state sector job or increase their salary or in some way clinch their dependency (direct or indirect) upon the state budget and on political decisions. The result is worrying: Citizens have lost the will and determination to determine their own fate and take action on their own initiative. The «people» – specifically, the working population – have changed from active «players» into demanding viewers…
