The Problem Is One Person

Reshuffling will not save the regime.

On Tuesday, Alexander Lukashenko expanded the powers and autonomy of deputy prime ministers. So last week's transfer of Natalya Petkevich from the administration to the Council of Ministers was not a reference. With Lukashenko aging and losing his managerial capacity, the government becomes the body that will handle all day-to-day administrative affairs. And so that the head of the government does not have any bad temptations, the leadership should become collective. Following the model of the late Soviet Politburo.

According to the decree published on Tuesday, deputy prime ministers can independently make managerial decisions without waiting for the prime minister to approve them. They will control their fulfillment and punish those who execute decisions improperly. And also, they get full freedom of action in organizing such meetings as they want.

By conventional standards, the expansion of powers cannot be called a great administrative revolution. But there is something revolutionary in all this for the vertically-oriented management system of Belarus.

Lukashenko said about the idea of replacing the vertical power in the government with horizontal power back in March. Appointing deputy prime ministers, he promised that deputy prime ministers will have more powers.

"Deputy prime ministers will have much more weight. The chairman of the government is the chairman, he organizes the work of the government, leads government meetings, but in no case makes any one-man decisions," said Lukashenko.

That is, the prime minister in the new government should be not the chief, but the first among equals. Because Lukashenko doesn't want and can't do everyday state affairs anymore. But he is afraid to entrust all these affairs to one person. He might want something strange.

That's why Lukashenko is trying to invent some kind of collective leadership instead of himself. So that, on the one hand, it would collectively manage everything. And on the other hand, not to pretend to something more.

But so far it has not worked out very well. Appointed to the government politburo, Vladimir Karanik held the post of deputy prime minister for only a couple of months. He had to be replaced by a more effective manager, deputy head of Lukashenko's administration Natalia Petkevich. And to strengthen the economic staff by ex-KGB chief Valery Vakulchik. As Chief of Staff of the Council of Ministers, he will be able to make sure that the other members of the Politburo do not get too wild with their expanded powers.

But it is doubtful that the new powers and new appointments will greatly help to improve the efficiency of public administration. Because the problem is not in personalities. The problem is one person with chronic blue finger syndrome. Who can't even step away from the business normally, let alone deal with it on a daily basis.

Andrei Bronishevsky, planbmedia.io.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com