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Oleksiy Radziyevsky: The successful start of Viktor Yanukovych's Government is a pledge of effective work
10.11.2006, 12:08
"Certainly one hundred days are not a sufficiently long term even for making a preliminary fair evaluation of the performance of the incumbent coalition anti-crisis Government", was a comment about the first 100 days in office of the new Cabinet of Minister by parliamentarian Oleksiy Radziyevsky, the regional leader of the Party of Regions in the Lviv region.
"Especially in view of the fact that the new Government inherited an extremely hard legacy in many social and economic areas, and with regard to personnel issues as well.
The previous rulers earlier dismissed some 20,000 professional officials, which resulted in misbalanced management at all levels of power in Ukraine. Many absolutely incompetent people were appointed to govern the districts, regions, ministries, and various government agencies. As a result, power was paralyzed and deprived of the most essential thing – accurate information about what was going on in the country. And these forces, who pursued erroneous economic and social policy in 2005-2006, now obstruct efforts of Viktor Yanukovych's Government to put the country in order.
Therefore, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych started by restoring order and discipline in the bodies of the executive branch of government, which immediately produced positive results.
For example, the Cabinet of Ministers has successfully prepared the country for winter and stored sufficient volumes of gas. The Government has secured an acceptable gas price for 2007 of $130 for one thousand cubic meters, which is a considerably lower gas price than for the neighbouring countries.
For the first time over the past several years, the Government's efforts have secured a significant drop in the retail petrol and diesel prices. Just take a look at prices at the filling stations in Lviv. The price of the high grade petrol "A-95" dropped to 3.80 hryvnias a liter. A drop in petrol prices may push down prices on consumer goods and services. Primarily it will affect commodities and services with a considerable fuel component in cost, for example, public transport and food.
It is also a good sign that a trend of sustainable growth of output continues in the industrial sector. As compared to January-September of 2005, the corresponding period this year shows a 5.5% increase.
During a short period in office, the Government has provided adequate funding for the agro-industrial complex. Satisfactory minimum prices were introduced for grain purchases, which will allow to avoid food crisis this year and next year.
And the main Government's achievement during its first 100 days in office is stabilizing economic situation in the country. Moreover, the Government has developed plans for sufficient budgetary financing next year, based on macroeconomic indicators. According to the calculations of the Economy Ministry, next year Ukraine will have the required GDP growth, while inflation will be limited to the macroeconomic projections.
As for the new Government's budgetary policy, they have curtailed Budget deficit in 2006. They effectively worked to increase the revenue side of the Budget, which will allow to ultimately limit Budget deficit and to repay wage arrears.
It should be emphasized that the draft Budget for 2007, developed by Viktor Yanukovych's Government, is socially-oriented, and it adequately attends to tacking social problems of the Ukrainian population.
Unfortunately, the Lviv region has nothing to show to its credit in the economic and social areas. For example, now 316 enterprises are in the process of bankruptcy, with tax arrears, for instance to the regional budget, of over 320 million hryvnias, according to the writs issued by the tax authorities.
The businessmen and the public in the region are worried over the increasing crime rate and continuing contract murders, which remain unsolved, while the law enforcement agencies display disproportionate attention to the individuals and political groups, who are out of favor with the "orange". For instance, a member of the Party of Regions has been recently arbitrarily detained by police. When asked to show his ID, he produced his party membership card, but policemen tore it apart and threw away. Instead of investigating into this incident, the procuracy is only going through perfunctory motions. Hundreds of people, who worked for the campaigns of the political groups which are out of favor with the "orange", have been subjected to pressure and moral harassment.
Unfortunately, presently we see facts of stark incompetence in the regional government. The local authorities are impenetrable to the public scrutiny, and they are unwilling to report to the public about their activities, amid increasing corruption, search for cheap popularity, political fraud. That is why people become disillusioned with power generally and with local authorities in the Lviv region, in particular.
I am confident that Viktor Yanukovych's Cabinet of Ministers has an adequate potential and professionalism to reverse negative trends in some areas, to consolidate the executive branch of government in the regions, and to build on achievements of its first 100 days in office". | |
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