STATES WOMAN

Civil servants executing administrative functions are called according to the Russian tradition bureaucrats. During the long flourishing period of the Soviet bureaucracy this word obtained smack of inertness, shortsightness, indifference, and generally speaking not without reason. But as always there are exceptions. I mean those civil servants who irrespective of their posts with good reason may be considered as "states men or women". One can recognise them easily. Three things are their distinctive features: a special attitude towards people, understanding of there state responsibility and farsightedness, an ability to think strategically ("not the point one views from but what exactly one views from it that is important" as keenly put it a famous Russian wrighter Viktor Pelevin. One can argue are these qualities caused by their nature or their professionalism, but one thing is indisputable: there are only a few of them in the State machinery. That is why it's a lucky thing that one of them is responsible for relations with public unions in the Department of public and interregional relations of the Moscow Government. A sweet, smiling woman, her sincerity and enthusiasm win everybody from the first sight - such is Irina Leonova.

Irina Grigoryevna, very different people visited your cabinet today: representetives of feminine organizations, lawdefenders, enviromentalists, representatives of condominiums, charity groups. Are you attacked so every day or today there is a special flow of visitors?

In general our reception days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. But people come on other days also if a preliminary arrangement exists. They come with their projects, seeking support of the City Government. Or they need some information. We offen help non-commercial organizations to find each other. Besides our department in collaboration with the community develops a long-run program of public development of Moscow, and I am eager to ensure participation of as many organizations as possible with there proposals and suggestions.

I saw how you talk with people, I heard your speaches in different meetings and I came to conclusion that your understanding of the problems of public movement, it's role and significance is not only rational, but emotional as well. Do you agree, it's rather strange for a representative of the State power? May be a clue to this secret lies in your past?

My profession is a teacher and I always was deeply involved in public activities. I organized children and adults communication clubs, supported development of childrens creative abilities and initiative. In the very beginning of "perestroika" I succeeded to carry out into practice a scheme conceived long ago, I mean The Club of informal intercourse for teenagers. They were very different, our boys and girls, some of them were very active and some were what we called "difficult teenagers". Together we solved problems, discussed political issues, problrms of social order. Up to now I keep contacts with some of them Then I was invited to work in the Parliament Center. It was a period of rapid and stormy formation of different political unions and parties, beginning of career of many political leaders. Researches in the Parliament Center enabled me to learn to analyze social and political processes, enabled me to interpret accumulated experience.

As far as I know, you take an active part in the feminine movement. How long?

Since 1991. But I'd said I rather investigate feminine movement, though not as a neutral observer. A lot of energy needs to be spent in order to impart integrity to our feminine movement, to prevent it to be broken to pieces by internal disagreements and personal ambitions.

How you began to work in the municipal administration?

Thanks to my participation in feminine movement. It was there where I met Lyudmila Ivanovna Shevtsova. Now she is a chief of the Department of public and interregional relations of the Moscow Government. A little more then a year ago she invited me in the Department to attend to relations with public organizations.

Do you like this work?

Very much. First of all I like to work with Lyudmila Shevtsova. I think, there are not much people under whose command I could work. And Lyudmila Ivanovna and me, we are like-minded persons. Secondly this job gives me an opportunity to use my previous experience. And the last here I can see immediate results of my work. The City Public Development Programm is one of them.

The Programm is developed by the Government of Moscow, isn't it?

Developing this programm we cooperate with leaders of some non-commertial organizations dealing with development of public sector as a whole. These people have simultaniously practical experience, clear understanding of means of survival and development of public sector and ability to think analytically. Their proposals became a basis of the acts concerning public unions, charity activities. Besides among active developers of the programm are condominiums, public health organizations, non-commercial informational centers.

What are the objectives of The City Public Development Programm?

Tendences of world community development indicate more and more increasing role of public sector in the process of transition from traditional democracy towards "alive" democracy. "Alive" democracy means such type of social order when every man and woman are involved in solving problems of the community on the level of decisionmaking. It is made possible through his or her participation in activities of public sector. Transition to the "alive" democracy is going on step by step in the United States, Germany and some other European countries...
Development of public sector makes possible to solve the problem of employment which could be defined as a problem of the following millenium. Every person needs to feel his or her significance. In the West a lot of people spends their spare time in working in non-commercial organisations just because they want to feel their personal usefulness, to know that they are needed. In our country situation a little bit different: participation in public life is determined rather by the fact that people are forced to solve their numerous problems in social field on one's own because state is absolutely incapable to solve them.
Those who work today in our non-commercial sector are forced to solve problems unaccustomed to them, problems of management and survival of their organisatons. Many of them lacks professionalism in such cases, and that's why state support is so important. In order to provide such support for non-commercial organisations on local level it is nessesary to make prefectures understand the role and significance of the public sector. We should train special personnel able to cooperate with public organisations. We think that it is very important now to organize a system of mutual training of leaders of public organisations and governmental officials.
So our programm of public development pursues two objects: transition to the "alive"democracy on the level of civil initiatives and solving the problem of employment. We should inform representatives of state structures about international experience, make them understand that the future may well lie with public sector.

Does The Government of Moscow understand this?

Of course. On the 30 of April the resolution on interaction has been passed. The governmental structures is obliged by it to address public sector, to coperate with it. Now we enter into a new stage of development of our society. On the first stage of non-governmental sector formation state, business and public organisations existed by themselves, independently of each other. Cooperation is an urgent demand of a new one.

What should be a basis of such a cooperation?

Today we have a law regulating interactions of the state with non-commercial sector. But a mechanism of its enforcement is needed to be worked off. In particular such issues as how to secure a social order, a state grant or some favourable terms by a non-commercial organisation. Up to now all these priviledges were distributed to those most active in righting letters and begging for benefits. This system should be changed. And we want non-commercial organisations to propose their own variants. They should proceed from the fact that priorities in allocation of the state support take into account social significance of a programm and a measure of responsibility being taken upon oneself by non-commercial organisation. Besides those who consider an application ought to get a clear idea how an organisation plans to obtain the proposed results.

Does the programm of public development provides a mechanism for public opinion to become a really influential force?

Formerly public opinion used to express itself in such active forms as meetings and demonstrations. Today the most popular forms are applications and appeals. But experience of protests against the war in Chechnya showed that for the present non-commercial organisations have no opportunities to declare collectively about their public and civil position in such a way that their position would be expressed in mass media and brought to deputies, city and state administration. I think that development of such a mechanism is first of all a task of human right watch organisations. Because a right of a civil position is inalienable right of a human being. I think that on the basis of these organisations we could form a structure through which non-commercial organisations would declare their civil positions. When the number of appeals of noncommercial organisations into this "receiver" would exceed some threshold number it begins to play a role of a speaking trumpet. I mean it would make possible to carry public opinion upto states men and mass media as well. 15 thousands of non-commercial and public organisations have been registered now in Moscow. If at least a third of them would declare its civil position their opinion should be taken into consideration.


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