The author of liberal reforms that brought the country into economic dependence on the West, requires you to relinquish control of the government in the hands of an alternative “Commission”
Nadezhda Alexeeva
Chairman of the Board of Sberbank German Gref has prepared a draft of a major reform of the state system: it is proposed to establish a special Commission, which will assume the functions of control over the Cabinet and assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of key projects.
The main task of the center should be monitoring the effectiveness of ministries and departments. For this purpose it is planned to introduce KPIs criteria. It is reported that the Commission would teach the Ministry to implement projects. The results of the tests on the efficiency will be published and evaluated by international experts. As regards personnel policy, the authors offer reforms to introduce individual development plans for each official, noting the absence of “a clear link between evaluation results and personnel growth.”
Reform “from Herman Gref,” has not yet approved, currently close to implementing the idea of establishing a project office under the leadership of Dmitry Medvedev and Igor Shuvalov, media reported citing government sources.
If the idea of the ex-Minister will be implemented in practice, in the country there will be an alternative centre of state power authorized to influence actions of the Cabinet of Ministers. Undoubtedly, if the Gref reform gets approved, the head of the savings Bank will make every effort to have the Commission includes leaders with complementary ideological attitudes — advocates of liberalism in economy and foreign policy.
And laughter, and Gref
It should be noted that the idea of structural reform of state administration, former Minister of economic development bears for a long time. In early 2015 Gref voiced this idea during the expert meeting in Novo-Ogarevo, where the head of state convened the high economic officials and the leadership of the Central Bank to discuss prospects of implementing the anti-crisis plan. According to those present at the meeting, Alexei Kudrin, Vladimir Putin is “seriously” reacted to the proposals of the head of Sberbank. Gref proposed to introduce project and task management system, criticizing “pragmatism” in government.
Recently the Chairman of the Board of Sberbank supported active criticism of the Russian economy and system of governance. The greatest resonance was caused by the words spoken by Gref in the beginning of 2016 at the Gaidar forum, he said that due to the drop in world prices for hydrocarbons, Russia is “lost” and “passed into the camp of the countries of downshifters”. And shared a recipe for “cure” of the disease: in his opinion, we should start with changes to all state systems.
A word about “the country of downshifters” caused an avalanche of indignation in the society, Vice speaker of the state Duma Nikolay Levichev even called Gref’s resignation. However, the majority of commentators drew attention to the essence of the statements, while the most strange in this situation is the fact that the most harsh criticism of the Russian economy comes from the mouth of a man carrying direct responsibility for the situation. From 2000 to 2007, Gref was appointed Minister of economic development and trade, it is one of the principal authors of the “Strategy of socio-economic development of the Russian Federation until 2010”. “Strategy 2010” was implemented only by one third, while this document often has been criticized for excessive “market” bias. According to opponents, Gref has concentrated all efforts on carrying out liberal economic policy. For example, he was an active lobbyist of Russia’s accession to the WTO, despite the fact that this decision had a negative impact on the Russian producers.
“Legalization of the export of capital” resulted in the cancellation of currency regulation, which made Russia vulnerable to fluctuations in the world markets, writes about reforms Gref economist Mikhail Delyagin, criticizing the results of activity of the official on a post of the Minister of economic development.
Thus, speaking of “the country of downshifters”, Herman Gref involuntarily gave a negative assessment and own work: today Russia is reaping the fruits of a liberal course in Economics, an ardent supporter of which he is. The main feature of this policy is the refusal of the principle of economic autonomy, trust in the “division of labor”, in which Russia plays the role of exporter of raw materials. The imposition of economic sanctions against Russia demonstrated all the flaws of this approach (the country had to hastily importozameshchenija in most areas), however, is not persuaded liberal figures.
For example, the same German Gref, commenting on 16 March the current rate of the national currency, stated that modernization of the economy “automatically” means the purchase of large amounts of equipment abroad. Although, according to some experts, the dependence on import of means of production represents the greatest threat to the domestic economy.
the <pre>Alexei Kudrin and German Gref (left to right) at the conference “Strategy-2010: results of realisation and new calls”. Photo: Anton Lukanin / TASS</pre>
Rakes of economic liberalism
Actively criticizing the existing system of public administration, Mr Gref does not propose to change it radically. In his opinion, “the main task is the development of existing managers”. The proposed reform involves the creation of a kind of superstructure over existing agencies designed to “teach” the Ministry to implement projects. The question arises: do the right officials, not able to work, to take their places in the government, or it would be wiser just to replace them with more competent professionals, instead of creating an additional state Agency for learning? However, it is doubtful that such a Commission assembled under the leadership of Gref and other apologists of liberalism like Alexei Kudrin, will be able to teach officers something that could be really useful, because the consequences of market distortion in the economy, previously organized by these people, are today the greatest threat and obstacle to the development of the country.
Of course, the Russian government really needs reorganization: often work on the most important ways simply sabotaged. For example, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, at the beginning of last year the head of state began to control the military-industrial sector in “manual” mode; apparently, typed in the relevant Agency officials are simply not able to work independently.
However, if the Executive power and requires the control and replacement of personnel, not only under the guidance of the already discredited liberal politicians and economists. It is their work that led to the existing to this day in a national economy dependent on imports and with the slightest of fluctuations in world energy markets and currencies.
Economic dependence of the state is a direct threat to its sovereignty. It is known that the military power of the country must rely on well-developed economy. We have for many years instead of building new industrial enterprises preferred to invest in us Treasury bonds or keep the capital dead weight in Kudrinskaya “pod”.
Herman Gref and other radical proponents of the “market” already has been using Russia as a testing ground for experiments. As it turned out, very unsuccessful.
Common logic dictates that demonstrated the incompetence of the professionals must be best to retire, and at worst be held accountable for the results of their work. However, neither that, nor another does not happen: they continue to occupy leadership positions and to actively intervene in the administration of the state. Behind the idea for the circuit of work of Executive power for a certain fee, which lobbies the Gref team, can stand not only the desire to impose their rules of the game the government, but also the desire to gain a bigger share of power in the country.
In fact, the most effective reform of public administration would complete its purification from harmful influence of figures like Herman Gref.
“Cadres decide everything” — said Joseph Stalin. He is well versed in the methods of increase of efficiency of public administration.
