Sergei Stefanov: Statesman cannot think like an average citizen

State Commission on Foreign Trade Protection, while wanting to support Russian motor-car industry, prepared a decree about increase of import duties for used cars of foreign production. Though the document should be signed by Prime-Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. While at the moment, forces became active lobbying interests of foreign producers… in Russian government. For example, on 14 January, Kommersant newspaper published an anti-lobbyist interview of deputy leader of the government staff Alexei Volin, titled “Russian Motor-Car Industry Cannot Be Helped Even with High Import Duties”. The high official while commenting the situation, was not stingy of statistics. According to Volin, “people can afford national pride to themselves if only they produce of what they could be proud. Motor-cars produced in Russia cannot be a subject of national pride, they are most likely the subject of national mockery…” Though the question is not about concrete facts. The issue lies somewhere else. A statesman cannot think like an average citizen. What engineer Volin could say, or seller Volin, a functionary has no right to say. All the more a functionary of such rank. Though, nobody seems to pay attention to it. Then, there is a question: what a federal government and what a prime-minister does Russia have, if they promote such anti-state ideas? For, a person of Volin’s level should pay more attention to the native motor-car industry. While the question is not only about motor-cars. There is the same situation in Russian education. Why not to create necessary conditions to avoid brain drain? Russia has a great potential almost in all fields, that should be developed, while great money should be invested in it. Though these investments could be recompensed only in the next generation. And in addition to all this, pro-West mass-media as a sword of Damocles threaten Russian functionaries. It seems to be much easier to turn Russia into a big motor-car dump, because now used Western motor-cars will be willingly sold for under prices. The European Union decided to do away with the cars over 7-year age at the expense of the producers…

Sergei Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/01/16/35634.html