Ukrainian social-democrats: staff question is decisive

“Ukraine is vacant” – under this title recently an article in Ukrainian newspaper “Dyen” has been issued wrote by the Social-Democratic Party’s leader, first vice-speaker of Ukrainian parliament Viktor Medvedchuk. “Ukraine is practically vacant, - he writes. – It is vacant what about qualified specialists able to lead the country into the future.” The author supposes, that the society has not realized this fact yet, though soon it should be realize it, for “today’s situation based on the principle of choosing specialists according to personal devotion is near to its exhausting”. The country has to choose: either to preserve the today’s system of choosing specialists and non-effective economy, leaded by “crowd of bureaucrats”, or to carry out a staff revolution with following economical hitch. The party made its choice: the staff revolution must be carried out, “staff vacuum” must be filled. For these aims, a special project was worked out – “Staff Reserve – New Power of Ukraine”. The project has an all-national character, though the stress is made upon the search for new management genii in regions. How this will happen, could be seen in Cherkassy region, where the project is being already realized. This was reported at the press-conference carried out by regional organizing committee’s head, first deputy head of regional administration and leader of Cherkassy social-democrats Vadim Leshenko. According to him, the main idea of the project is wide-ranging staff research to found out the most effective managers in all fields. The question is both about acting managers and about potential leaders. “In the circumstances of changing the planning economy to market relations, Ukraine ran into staff shortage of such scale, that is dangerous for the whole state mechanism, Leshenko said. – We all remember the well known expression “staff question is decisive”. It is still actual, in spite of change of ideology. For the country’s successful development, in the nearest future 15 thousand managers of new generation will be necessary, of whom 3 thousand will make up gold staff reserve of Ukraine.” Cherkassy regional organizing committee started to spread questionnaires among people who want to take part in the staff competition. After interviewing the potential participants, a list of staff reserve will be composed. Afterwards, the several-stage competition will be carried out, whose winners will be able to aspire to posts in leadership of business structures and in state bodies, and not only in the regional ones. Expert council (at the all-national level headed by Leonid Kravchuk) will choose the most perspective candidates. To take part in the competition, one should visit the project’s official site. Vadim Leshenko stressed, that although the project had been initiated by Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine, it is not limited by the party’s membership, they “invite for co-operation everybody, who is worried about Ukraine’s future”. In the nearest future, the work at the project’s realization should start in all regions of the country. However, it is doubtful that the project will be realized successfully. First of all, the head of the expert council Leonid Cravchuk once was already responsible for realization of administrative reform, which was overburdened. Vadim Leshenko admitted this fact, while explaining the reason of the failure was namely the staff hunger. So, it looks like an exclusive circle…. Another obstacle that is very real in today’s circumstances – appointing people not according to their professional skills, but according to their personal devotion, related contacts, shady obligations and so on. Losses for the country are obvious, but nobody could say for sure this practice will be really changed with the project. The “specialists” of old generation will hardly agree to voluntarily cede their posts to the new generation’s representatives, if even they are very talented. All the more, all “staff revolutions” are bloody. One of potential participants of the competition even asked if it was necessary to write the name while filling in the form: the situation changes every day, probably tomorrow, the Social-Democratic Party will conflict with president Kuchma, what could influence the carrier of “gold staff reserve.” The answer to this question is very significant: if the pretender prefers to keep incognito, his wish will be satisfied.

Andrei Lubenski PRAVDA.Ru Ukraine

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/14/33803.html