30 May 2004 13:36
Russian deputy speaker hails Putin`s "down-to-earth" address
Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Oleg Morozov has paid tribute to President Vladimir Putin's
"down-to-earth" state-of-the-nation address delivered on 26 May. In an interview with Russia TV's
"Parliamentary Hour", Morozov said that the social problems facing the country could only be solved with
adequate investment, and that this had to be provided primarily from domestic capital. He concurred with Putin's
view that democratic institutions are insufficiently developed in Russia, but expressed confidence that the barriers to
such development can be removed. The following is the text of the interview, broadcast on 30 May:
[Interviewer] Oleg Viktorovich, I am pleased to welcome you to the studio. Listening to the address, did you hear the
answers to your questions which you expected to hear?
[Morozov] I would answer your question like this - for me, this address seemed somewhat unexpected, because in our
country this address is usually a kind of mixture of ritual, political rhetoric, some fine, striking expressions which
stick in your memory, but this address by Putin was so down-to-earth, so specific that perhaps for the first time it is
a document, the text of which, if any citizen of Russia were to take it - I don't know, a tractor driver, a worker,
a teacher, a doctor, a student, anyone you like - if they take it and read this address they will definitely find in it
answers to many everyday, specific questions which are of concern to them.
[Interviewer] Aren't you frightened by the scale of the task?
[Morozov] I would like to draw your attention to Putin's words - he said that we have for the first time gained
an opportunity of speaking about resolving specific tasks of a national scale. These national projects are, on the one
hand, very large - and that is the meaning of your question as to whether the scale of the task is frightening, they are
indeed all very large. But on the other hand, this is something without which we simply cannot take the next step
forward - whatever you take from what Putin talked about, housing, democracy, the army, security, whatever you like.
[Interviewer] The president gave top priority to social policy, but nevertheless we then heard a very important
objective, to increase our potential by the year 2010. How realistic is this?
[Morozov] It seems to me that the link here is most direct. When we talk about the need to resolve social problems,
such as accessible housing, accessible health care, accessible and effective education, we have to realize that without
serious investment in these fields it is impossible to meet these objectives, and investment in these fields depends
directly on how our economy functions.
[Interviewer] Just recently all our successes, all our possibilities were linked with the price of oil. This point is
not made in quite such blunt terms today, but nevertheless, where will this investment come from?
[Morozov] Well, from oil as well. Let's not forget about oil, on the one hand, but quality of growth presupposes
that the doubling of GDP has to come from more rapid growth rates outside the extraction sectors, from those sectors
which are connected with innovative processes and new technology, and only this can make our economy attractive to
investment. That's the first aspect of the issue, and the second - it has to be realized that no-one is going to
bring us investment in abundance from abroad. When we talk about the investment potential of our economy we have to
realize that we are talking about national capital - this is what has to invest its income in the Russian economy today,
instead of taking it abroad.
[Interviewer] The president said the main capital was people, and he mentioned the importance of developing a civil
society. What has to be done and what is the role of political parties and the State Duma in order for us to become
competitive, in order for people to gain an interest in participating in all these processes which the president spoke
about?
[Morozov] When Putin said in his address to the Federal Assembly that all the democratic institutions are not yet
functioning adequately, that we have not yet created an effective political system, that we still have many flaws in
this area, he actually meant that democracy has not yet, in real terms, become the foundation which would enable every
person, every citizen to actively engage in the process of developing the life of society.
[Interviewer] What is obstructing us today?
[Morozov] We are obstructed by the fact that we are still children, we haven't yet outgrown our short trousers,
the transitional stage from one form of development of our state to a new democratic one. It was with good reason that
Putin was applauded when he said that if anyone expects us to deviate from this path he is mistaken, that there will be
no deviation, you remember that passage in his address. Everything is obstructing us at the moment - our underdeveloped
legislative base, the fact that many public organizations have still not become fully-fledged participants in creating a
civil society, the fact that the authorities often try to manage society by administrative methods without allowing
democracy to develop, the fact that the mass media, especially in the regions, sometimes finds itself subjected to
pressure from administrative bodies and officials, the fact that corruption is flourishing in the country - all this
taken together forms barriers to the development of a civil society and democracy.
[Interviewer] Can they be removed?
[Morozov] Of course, the more shoots of a real civil society there are in Russia, the more effectively we will live,
including in the economic sphere.
[Interviewer] We'll watch how things develop, thank you for coming to our studio.
[Morozov] Thank you.
[RTR Russia TV] |
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