Confrontation between Dogmatists and Nonentities Makes Political Process Primitive

http://www.ng.ru/editorial/2009-10-05/2_red.html

A new, different elite has developed in post-Soviet Russia. It has been joined by quite well known representatives of various spheres. Market, private property, multi-party system, new connections and money had caused decay of the previous elite formed according to the rules fixed by the Communist Party nomenclature.

Yeltsin’s elite succeeded Gorbachev’s elite rapidly and with an “extreme personal disgust”. Russia is not the USSR, therefore the Soviet Republics’ leaders were momentarily replaced on the list of personnel. Democrats were chosen. The democrats of the first wave.

Over the period of eight years, Putin supporters pushed Yeltsin’s allies out from all the important state administration and state sector positions. Unlike 1990s, being representative of Saint-Petersburg or belonging to the former KGB circles became Vladimir Putin’s main criteria for nomination to official posts. Former KGB officers from Saint-Petersburg were given preference. Consolidation of power in the Kremlin nearly reached the level of the Soviet time. Together with the fast growth of real revenue, it gained considerable popularity. Simultaneously it was dependent on continuity of success. But that was impossible, considering the cyclic and imbalanced character of capitalism development.

The crisis revealed several main problems which can be faced by Russia and its population. They are basically caused by imitation of modern state institutions tasked with securing of a stable and purposeful development based on democracy, competition and the respective procedures. That would be a real stimulus for the power of people guaranteeing and raising the overall effectiveness of the system.

In fact, people would do without democracy for some time. Being satisfied with a fiction. There exist many examples. The problem is that the people as a rule are not able to choose a development strategy and define main tasks, goals by themselves. And they should not be blamed for that. Populism is the practical element of the public consciousness and political process. Cowardice and credulity can be punished with institutional chaos, drop of living standard and change in assessment of their idols from “plus” to “minus”.

In a normal society, the elite undertake responsibility for the presence and future. Belonging to it implies the obligation to maintain dialogue with the competing elite groups. These are issues related to constitutional basics and values to be used for building of public institutions.

If the elite-in-power is irresponsible, it concentrates on fictions. It lives just for this moment, tactical interests, ignoring the lessons of history. Opponent elite may also be irresponsible while undertaking unreal, utopian tasks and objectives. Nobody can deny the truth that “politics is the art of possibilities”. Having announced unreachable goals, anyone exceeds the frame of politics.

Political position is marginalized. Confrontation between dogmatists and nonentities simplifies the political process, devaluates it, makes it primitive, degrades the political culture to indecent level. Therefore, both slogans “Putin forever” and “Down with Putin” will be similarly inacceptable for a responsible citizen. Both of them lack justice and realistic pragmatism.

Citizens become alienated to the elite, thereby, within the society, ties between the main participants of the public-political process are lost.

Development and replacement of elite under the conditions of normal political competition, as the result of free election, in the form of transparent procedure are in the interest of all the country’s elite groups. It is important for dynamic development of society, economy and regions, in order the “power thrombus” is dissolved as the result of normal civilized citizens’ activities.

In order to prevent disproportion, sideslip in the construction of the state of Russia, normal correcting procedures should be created. Without wars, revolutions, coups. In order the elite would remain the same also after losing of power.

That is in Russia’s interests.

Original available on: http://www.ng.ru/editorial/2009-10-05/2_red.html