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The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
Brief outline of the speech of Boris Maltsev,
Speaker of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma,
at the XXXVIII Duma Session Today we had a meaningful and constructive dialogue on the whole. I would like to thank the Governor of Tomsk Oblast Mr. Viktor Kress for an interesting and self-critical report on the performance of the Tomsk Oblast executive authorities in 2009. Good goals and tasks have been set and we will achieve and resolve them together. Today the Governor has reaffirmed that he is worth being one of the ten most effective Russian regional leaders.
A report by executive authority leader at any level – country, region, city, or village – is a very significant political event always. Citizens and deputies had been anticipating this report, and executive officials themselves were feeling uptight while preparing it. Such reports not only summarize performance and provide a ‘post-flight analysis’ but also set out action plans and hopes for the future. The sheer fact that such a report is delivered in a democratic society presupposes the citizens’ control – indirectly, through the Duma deputies – over the executive authorities. The citizens paid their taxes, hired the authorities and have a right to get a performance report. And the Duma plays a vital role here.
On the whole, I approve of the Oblast Administration’s performance in the crisis year of 2009; but I have a number of improvement proposals for 2010.
1. Develop and implement measures aimed at asserting the executive power’s authority in the region.
2. Reduce the number of executive authority levels. The more people in the government the less the administrative effect. Similar to a mechanism – more gears mean less reliability. The Tomsk Oblast State Duma is a good example with the lowest number of people in the executive office in the country.
3. Administrative decisions, if not fully public, should be developed and taken in cooperation with the citizens who then will be responsible for execution of such decisions.
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