Kulimkhan HASENOVA
ALMATY, April 19
(THE GLOBE)
Today one of the cochairmen of �Azamat� movement Pyotr Svoik held a press conference. The theme of the event was �we cannot live this way any longer: either economically or morally.� According to the main economic expert of the movement, the introduction of the floating tenge�s rate will lead the country to inflation and destabilization. If no urgent measures are taken, irreparable damage may occur. Money emission, which the government consistently denies is admissible, has already started.
In the opinion of Pyotr Svoik, the problem will occur when this hidden and relatively �regulated� emission becomes speeded up and the authorities lose control of the process. If today�s government is saved and continues its pernicious policy, the chairman believes this end will be unavoidable.
�We have very few resources to overcome the crisis,� Svoik emphasized. �It is essential that we concentrate the remaining resources at the earliest moment, in order to take the real anti-crisis measures. However, we should not deceive ourselves and other people.�
Largely because of inertia, the volume of imports has continued to exceed that of exports for the first months of the year. However having lost the support of the dollar, the volume of imports can be expected to rapidly decline. Subsequently, fewer imports will result in both increased prices and a drop in the value of the tenge. Svoik expects the tenge to trade at about 150 per dollar. It appears that the rate of the floating tenge�s rate cannot exceed the rate 160 to 180 at the end of the year. However, the chairman expects that this rate will be much higher.
Pyotr Svoik believes it necessary �to begin to live with our own currency� to improve the national economy. To do that, the internal payment relations executed in tenge must be improved, while the dollar should take its proper place � an instrument for the external payments.
Dear colleagues, we sincerely congratulate you. You have fine taste and a professional approach in the selection of your publications. The articles that you have republished are the golden funds of our newspaper. We would also recommend that you to pay attention to the other materials; for example, Andrei Tsalyuk�s analytical reviews of trends in the financial market, the publications of Kulimkhan Hasenova and of many other journalists. These articles are presented in English and are therefore in a suitable form for you. We hope that you are satisfied with the quality of the translations. We will be flattered if you continue to use our articles. We only ask you not to forget about references if you want to publish our materials.
The editorial staff of THE GLOBE presents its apologies to Mr. Josz and the readers for wrongly spelling Marc Josz�s surname in the last issue.
The editorial staff of THE GLOBE offers its apologies to the heads of �TuranAlembank� and our readers for publication of the untrue information of �Radio Svoboda� dated 06.04.99 regarding privatization of this bank.
Bakhytzhan ZHUMALIEVA
ALMATY, April 19
(Specially for THE GLOBE)
Exactly a year ago, an agreement to improve Kazakhstan�s state service structure was concluded between the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union. The program called �assistance of a unified state service in Kazakhstan,� is led by Heinrich Duffner. The project is coordinated by TACIS.
The head of the project group states that the European civil service structure cannot be declared perfect. Every separate country has certain negative features. However, there are common standards that should be introduced in Kazakhstan, while taking into consideration the peculiarities of our country.
The state service is divided into career and political ones. For example in the French and German civil service the career service prevails. In Great Britain and Holland on the other hand, the state functionaries and personnel of private companies are employed under equal conditions, on a contract basis. In Europe people with high education compose about 15 to 20% of the state service. Most of the bureaucrats have a special education, but not high. After secondary school, if a person passes corresponding tests and is employed by the service, he is sent on a 3-year study of a concrete profession. Compensation for his study is different in each separate country, but in Germany the responsibility is undertaken by the government. In all the European countries the system of the civil service is being continuously perfected.
According to Mr. Duffner, the objective of the project being executed in Kazakhstan is to form a strategy for the recently established Agency on state service affairs. This agency has two tasks: to work out a common program to direct manpower and personnel training. The system to be created should be common for all the levels: regions, towns, districts, republic and should consist of entry, promotion and training. The single scheme allows for i) more precise state policy guaranteeing the effective functioning of the state service system, ii) completeness and stability of legislation base, iii) the creation of a high-level of prestige for the state service, iv) its stability and succession, v) an effective mechanism of legal and social security, including a high level of pension security, vi) the availability and guarantee of conditions of career growth for each functionary, vii) a combination of the necessity and requirement for the lifelong training of state officials, viii) predictability and confidence in the civil service, ix) an accurate division of the legal status of the political officials and professional functionaries.
Every bureaucrat should know that if he works well and improves his qualifications, he will be able to advance his career despite somebody�s mood and/or a change of authorities. Bureaucrats must work whoever is in power. Mr. Duffner considers the most serious problem in Kazakhstan is the absence of any succession. The dismissal of the head results in the dismissal of the whole apparatus. All useful accomplishments worked out by the previous people are discared and everything is again started from scratch. It takes many months for the newcomers to adapt and to adjust to the specifics of work. Very often the work performed by people does not match their profile.
The EU expert states that in our country advancement to another level is possible, if a person moves to another town, but he has to wait for a vacancy. Our system resembles a bottle. The upper strata are filled, and nobody has a chance to enter the higher rank. As a result, good and competent specialists at the regional level have left the state service.
The probation period in Europe is not 2 to 3 months as it is in Kazakhstan, but from 1.5 to 5 years. During this period the new worker should work dealing with different problems and in different departments at different levels to get the required experience. The bureaucrat�s preferences are registered and finally he gets a recommendation from his superior. During this training period the functionary has to prepare an annual report on the fulfilled work and about innovations introduced by him. There is a specific estimation and recommendation system. Upon the results of the report the bureaucrat may be promoted or offered to improve his qualification, to attend courses. The system of internal rotation, internal obligatory and voluntary study and regular reports guarantees the professionalism of the state service.
Is it possible to introduce the reports system, if many bureaucrats are patronized by the higher officials? Besides, there is a tradition that business officials are allowed to sit out the consequences of stormy commercial activities in the protection of the state service.
According to Mr. Duffner, for the time being the project is being fulfilled to slowly. The timetable to implement the required changes is two years, but half of this period is already gone. At present they are working on changes and supplements to the law �On the state service�. Kazakhstan should make clear some points. First, it must be clearly distinguished which posts are to be considered career, which � political ones. Second, often changes in the governing structure prevent people from stable work. Third, there should be succession. Despite changes in the authorities, the structure should continue to work.
Our next step following the formation of the state service structure is the establishment of open information channels. The bureaucrats are to be informed about innovations through computer system or any editions, for them to be able to take part in discussion of the new laws and documents.
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