| YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin called to a radical
change of Russia’s political course at the World Political
Forum in Yaroslavl. "We require an anti-oligarchic project
or, in other words, policies the essence of which would be
a bourgeois revolution from the top,” he said.
Mitrokhin proposed the following key steps that should be
undertaken by the authorities so that to conduct a real modernisation
of Russia:
1. Property rights should be strengthened, private property
should be made inviolable at simultaneous gradual albeit steady
diversification of the property structure conducted by legal
methods and targeted at reducing of concentration of property.
This work should target redistribution of control over national
resources from the oligarchy to a mass layer of medium and
small owners. People's capitalism should replace the oligarchic
capitalism.
2. Power should be separated from business by all means available
in the modern world.
3. All possible kinds of assets (e.g., land, real estate)
should be taken out of control of bureaucrats and oligarchs
and consistently and systematically transferred to the middle
class. Land should be transferred to people for free for housing
construction.
4. There should be systemic anti-corruption measures, including
anti-corruption amending of the legislation.
5. The incomes policy should be conducted in favour of the
citizens and small and medium-scale businesses rather than
oligarchy. The most important element here is increase of
the minimum wage targeted at taking the wages out of the shadows.
Introduction of progressive tax on real estate. This measure
will target encouraging accumulation of funds by medium and
small businesses, rather than accumulation of large owners
(which was largely contributed by a flat scale and a low income
tax). The measures here should envisage introduction of a
two-step progressive income tax.
6. The segments of “playing according to the common rules
of the game” that are not subject to changes in favour of
different persons should be gradually broadened. And here
we come to the elections issue. The law should stipulate in
detail criminal penalties for election fraud. International
observers should returned to elections, moreover their presence
at elections should be encouraged. PACE and OSCE controlling
powers should be strengthened.
7. Russia’s participation in international organisations
and conventions should be broadened as their norms and standards
are useful for Russia’s development. At the same time we should
be realistic here, so as not to disrupt the process. For example,
we should not rush immediately into NATO. Let us first create
a joint Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence system.
8. Rotation of elites. Gradually, but steadily we should
build up the segment of the "elite of development"
which will replace the "elite of stagnation" by
cultivating a new generation of officials and conducting anti-corruption
purges of the state apparatus.
See also:
Modernisation
in Russia
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