The alluring chimera of communism

By Gabriel Koch

JAKARTA (JP): The world turns its jaded eyes this month to the intriguing, monolithic, vodka-swilling bear of a country which is Russia, in anticipation of the first major electoral test of democracy in the land of diamond-studded czars and red-badged comrades.

The issue at hand appears clear: Will the people of their own free choice elect to stay with Yeltsin and the democratic and capitalistic values he seems to stand for? or will they revert back to the communists and nationalists?

Simple, right? Good versus Evil. Intelligence versus Stupidity. Well, not quite.

Elections are never as cut-and-dry as they seem. When the election happens in Russia it becomes more complicated than putting together a toy made in Taiwan.

But let's see if I can make sense of why the Duma is filled with communists and why there is a chance that Yeltsin may fall.

I need to make clear that I believe communism does not work. Period. It was tried, it failed. Marx and Lenin were wrong. While there may still be some misguided fanatics who want to give it another chance, the great majority of the human race know it's a waste of time.

So, why then is the Duma filled with communists? Is it because Russians are stupid? Wrong. Russians may be many things but stupidity certainly does not factor into their makeup.

The battle going on in Russia really has nothing to do with communism versus democracy, however often it may be presented in that light. What is really at stake is power versus lack of power and safety versus fear.

Take the first part of the equation, power versus lack of power. Fifteen years ago the Soviet Union was a world power. Being a Soviet meant you were a citizen of a world power.

The power is inexorably linked with communism in the mind of the average Russian. When a Russian votes communist, he is therefore not saying he wants to live in blissful Marxist equality complete with Stalinistic concentration camps and long bread lines. He is saying he wants to feel important again. He is saying he is sick of living in a confusing period in which his country seems to be a hopeless, directionless wasteland populated by gangsters and terrorists.

The communists and nationalists are offering a return to feeling powerful. Their name is linked with Russia's most influential period, and many people want to feel that power again.

So, that one part of the reason people are voting communist even though they generally do not give a hoot for rhetoric.

The other part is the fact they are scared. Communism was comfortable. You worked hard, saved your pennies for a cubbyhole apartment and a car that you would half expect Mr. Bean to step out of, you kept your thoughts to yourself, tried not to arouse attention and wore a lot of drab colors.

It wasn't nice or wonderful or anything, but it was status quo and, as such, a certain comfort could be taken in the routine.

Now, who knows what is going on. Rules are changed continuously. There are gangsters on the street and a nasty war that does not seem to have an end.

There is so much opportunity, but how to take advantage of it? Yes, Russia might end up a great power again, but that is not definite. It is a scary and confusing and exciting time to be a Russian. Some can get into that and see the promise their future holds, but others just cannot make that leap of imagination. For many it is easier to live in a familiar purgatory than go through hell in search of a paradise they have no guarantee exists.

Although a great many Russians lived in poverty and depression during the Soviet-era, there were many people who lived rather well. Like most bureaucrats, they did not have to work too hard. They had a nice apartment in the city, a dacha on a lake somewhere, a car and driver, chances to buy the wife caviar and stockings at the party store. And then, bam! Its all gone.

Now they must work for these things. The driver's taken off to set up a black market auto warehouse. The rent's due on the apartment. And, being a mid-level paper pusher in one of the world's greatest monuments to bureaucratic inefficiency, their job counselor tells them they possess all the qualifications necessary to be a world-class paper-weight in their new life.

Can you blame these guys for wanting a return to the way they lived? The bottom line is these guy don't care a fig about communism; they would follow a cocker spaniel if it meant getting their dachas back.

Like in many elections, people are not necessarily voting for someone they like, they are voting against someone they don't like. Yeltsin has managed to do quite a bit for the country, but he has not been able to establish it as a secure power. Nor has he been able to adequately deal with Chechnya.

Crime is rampant in Moscow -- there are gangsters shooting up hotels a la 1920's Chicago -- and a lot of people just cannot figure out where Yeltsin is taking the country or if he can actually get it there.

The many who expected quick results without realizing that democracy and capitalism require some time and a lot of hardwork, are a wee bit perturbed. They are taking out their frustration at not waking up to find a BMW outside their house by voting for what they see is the opposite of Yeltsin.

Communism versus Democracy? Not. This is all about the memory of being a world power versus the reality of being a struggling contender. It is about a bad status quo versus a scary and not- guarantee better life. For some, it is a return to the creature comforts, and for other it is a reaction against the frustration of the current situation. But it is not about communism versus democracy.

Who will win?

My bet's on Yeltsin. Like I said, Russians aren't stupid and if you have ever played chess with them you know they are generally able to think several moves ahead.

While the communists may be holding out the promise of a return to world power status and pseudo-prosperity, I predict that the majority of Russians will realize that you can never go back in life. All you can do is trust hard, work harder, and pray you will have the chance to create a better, truer future then the past was or might have been.