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There are politicians who talk and there are others who are listened to. There is a widespread superstition among
politicians: unless you remain in public focus, you will be forgotten. You will be referred as "ex" and then
discounted as invalid. Out of sight - out of mind.
So you had better flicker on the TV screen, appear in print, make something out of nothing, hold "no tie" meetings
and visit society events.
Still it doesn't work. The presence of wealthy Leonid Roketsky, now the former Governor of Tyumen region, at the
New Year KVN show didn't help him avoid electoral defeat. Sergei Sobyanin won, even though he ignored the
show. But there is no way out of the merriment, at there is nothing else left, and the media won't let you keep
silent.
The technologists advising our politicians would do better to try and estimate the effectiveness of their clients'
public appearances. And they had better calculate the percentage of appearances which materialized in some
public benefit. It could prove to be a rather interesting chart.
Clearly, the top ranking of Grigory Yavlinsky, who is considered "silent" by journalists, would become the main
sensation. He is still a name, after his rapid and clear reaction to the crucial events of the past few months.
Yavlinsky has stated clearly his categorical disagreement with the committee investigating the accident with the
"Kursk" submarine. He believes that the reasons for the submarine disaster should be disclosed by the panel of
independent experts under federal control.
Yavlinsky adopted a similar position on the Aleksandrov - Mikhalkov anthem. The matter is not how good or bad a
communist anthem is for democratic Russia. Yavlinsky was indignant at the procedure used to approve the
anthem: "Instead of argumentation and public discussion, viewpoint was only expressed by use of force". So now
the "Yabloko" faction appears in the Duma Hall only when the anthem is over.
These two declarations were natural and even necessary for a party, which tends to be recognised for shared
values and understanding of civic society rules. And these declarations weren't just words.
Yavlinsky and his other members of his party didn't keep silent during discussion of the draft 2001 Federal Budget.
The "Yabloko" economists detected the disparity between projected budget incomes and the real amount of taxes
due to this change. It was a 88 bln rouble gap which was ignored or hidden intentionally by the Government.
These resources can be allocated to the transfer of the army to a contract-based service, judicial reform and
support for the budget sphere of the economy. The executive branch still only accepted that 30 bln were missing
and agreed to allocate them to an increase in defense and military expenses and repayment of Russia's foreign
debts. So Yavlinsky's calculation pulled Russia back a little from the edge of the debt mountain.
The Budget 2001 is a 70% representation of the "Yabloko" alternative Budget 2000. About 90% of the Tax Code
innovations were derived from the "Yabloko" programme proposals. Despite objections from sceptics, Yavlinsky and
his team managed to reduce income tax to 13% and establish a regressive scale of social deductions from the
Wages Fund.
The "Silent" Yavlinsky was heard by the authority. His arguments were understood and accepted - that is a
significant achievement.
Relations of "Yabloko" with President involve a stage of constructive dialogue. Yavlinsky's views seemed extremely
important to the President. Consequently Putin preferred to meet with "Yabloko" staff and discuss current
problems, while the "Unity" as a whole waited for him in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses to celebrate the New
Year. Despite the hysterical statements of the mass media, during this meeting the "Yabloko" initiatives on local
government and army reforms were supported.
"Yabloko" today is almost the only Russian political organisation which is really independent from the authority and owes it nothing.
Yavlinsky isn't bound by any crushing obligations to the authority: consequently the latter enters into dialogue with "Yabloko". Ruling
directives suffice for the rest. They are left to clean up their image in the show business laundromat.
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