Журнал Viche 2009 №1

№1, 2009

Incomplete Process of “Destruction of features of the Soviet Union” is Too Insidious Enemy of Democracy

As the results of the sociological researches conducted before the New Year testify that total pessimism rules in Ukraine.
92 percent of Ukrainians consider political situation in Ukraine to be very negative, 89 percent consider economic situation to be the same. Ratings of all parties and state institutes have reached the record low levels. In opinion of the political scientist Mykhaylo Pogrebynskyi, people are irritated by the continuous disorder in the state and lay the whole blame on political elite.
Are there any impartial reasons for the political crisis and does Ukraine have a chance to get out of it? The participants of the round table discussions on the theme “Unreformed Executive Power as the Reason for the Crisis. Control in the Executive Power”, which took place within the precincts of the National Academy of State Administration under the President of Ukraine, tried to answer these and some other questions of current importance.
We are giving the floor to some of them.

Vira Nanivska, the president of the National Academy of State Administration under the President of Ukraine:

— Unstable political situation in Ukraine is first of all the result of the uncompleted fragmentary democratization. We call it “Destruction of features of the Soviet Union”.

Uncompleted fragmentary “Destruction of features of the Soviet Union” generated special phenomenon - spontaneous “liberalization” of the state machine. In democratic countries the government is within tough limits of regulation, it knows exactly what it is allowed to do and what is not. In Ukraine legalize groups of interests compete with each other to have the right to access the public resources without any limitations of rules or procedures, the state machine gets unlimited possibilities for corruption actions. It’s a pity, but our legislation and normative and legal base of the activity of the government service contributes to it.

 

WE SEE A WHIP, BUT THERE IS NO CAKE!

Taras Pastuch, the head of Buchatsk district administration of Ternopil region:

— I would like to demonstrate what responsibility the civil servants have by the example of our district. O the territory of our district there are 60 families which bring up 10 and more children and 26 large families which bring up under age children. Imagine how much work the Department of Family, Youth and Sport, which consists of two people, has. According to the list of members of staff these are the head of the department and his deputy. There is no possibility to hire more people.

 

THERE IS A STAFF HUNGER IN THE STATE SECTOR

Igor Pysklynets, the head of Nadvirnyansk district administration of Ivano-Frankivsk region:

— I want to raise the question about the way political crises influence on the state machine. Last four years it was like that – the power changes and it at once causes the staff turnover in the organs of executive power. If it concerned only officials of the first category, that is the heads of administration and their deputies, then let it be. But it concerns the civil servants of the middle level who work for 15—20 years and have a good knowledge.