Elections in Primorye

The program is conducted by Mikhail Sokolov. He talks with Alexander Kirillichev, General Director of the Primorsky Shipping Company and a candidate for governors of the region. The program also participates in the Radio Liberty in Vladivostok Marina Loboda.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Marina, alarming messages come from Vladivostok, because during the election campaign for the election, if it can be called so, independent media are actually eliminated by force?

Marina Loboda:

At first I will congratulate Alexander Dmitrievich, this, in general, is one of the few opportunities to go on the air, because we have a rather difficult situation with the media in the Primorye. Viktor Cherepkov, one of their sufficiently serious candidates for the post of governor of the region, withdrew his candidacy, as he stated, in protest against what happened on the Lema radio. On this radio, the situation, in general, was one of the few radio stations, I would say the only one in the region, and we have about ten of them, which provided the opposition with free and free access to the air, both the opposition and the official government. The official power was clearly annoyed, and all kinds of nit -picking began. Promotions, such as against the newspaper "Kommersant", perceived with indignation in Moscow, for us this is a normal matter. These "raids" about the rental, about fire safety, we have a normal practice in relation to the opposition media, Radio Lema made just such a claim. For three years, there were some violations about the lease, and suddenly it boiled so that as soon as all the candidates received the right to officially campaign for themselves, the blockade of the radio station immediately began. She was sealed, I myself spoke with her employees when I was on the one hand of the corridor, and they were literally sealed at the studio and led the air from there, because the whole building was disconnected from electricity. It was the actual blockade of the radio station. Near her crowded people, both listeners and journalists have come. The police cordoned off the entire building, did not miss anyone and could not explain at all why no one could enter it? No arguments such as the law on freedom of the press, and so on, nothing of this acted. It’s just impossible. Moreover, they refused the right to enter the building of the General Consul of the United States, which also came to ask that with her beloved radio station, since she scooped out information from there, and she was also half an hour, if not an hour, stood in the cold and froze with everyone. The matter ended with the fact that the doors were nevertheless opened by the police. Radio officers were afraid that they would defeat all the equipment, and they surrendered.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Question to Alexander Kirillichev: Alexander Dmitrievich, how to explain what is happening in the region. For almost several years, messages have been coming from the theater of military operations: either the chosen mayor of the city is thrown out of the premises, then they are arrested by people who are innocent, then independent media are closed by force. What, in fact, is doing the power of the governor Evgeny Nazdratenko?

Alexander Kirillichev:

The power of the governor Nazratenko does his job, which Marina now told us about. Indeed, now the only independent media who made it possible to express themselves to people living in this region. This is really a regime that I can call in one word: it is close to fascist, because brewing people, destroy people - we probably correctly call this fascist regime.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Alexander Dmitrievich, tell me how to explain that quite a few people known in the Primorsky Territory are opposed to Governor Nazzratenko, for example, people such as the deputy of the Duma Svetlana Orlova. Viktor Cherepkov, former mayor of Vladivostok, you, speaker of the regional Duma Sergey Dudnik, who stated that in Primorye there is an advance for democracy and the freedom of speech is strangled, and, nevertheless, the power of Mr. Nadzratenko receives the full support of Moscow, the federal center and so on?

Alexander Kirillichev:

Much is not clear to me, but, probably, money is still seriously working there. After the deputy Yevgeny Nazzratenko was appointed representative of the President in the Primorsky Territory, I asked the question for himself: he probably also asks himself - in which country we live in the Russian Federation, or, nevertheless, this is a completely different country. When the first person of the territory states that the law will not fulfill, I begin to understand that it would be time for the authorities in the person of the president and his administration and the government, to pay serious attention to this. After all, sorry, the same began in Chechnya. And everything happened in this way, when the fullness of power was transferred into the hands of Mr. Dudaev. Will the same thing happen to the Primorsky Territory? It's just scary. This is exactly what happens on the territory of the Primorsky Territory - the fullness of power passed into the hands of one person. We have no other power except the power of Mr. Governor Yevgeny Ivanovich Nazdratenko.

Mikhail Sokolov:

But there are some results of the governor’s activities for those years that he leads the edge. The share of unprofitable enterprises is more than half, payables have grown 20 times. The region imports 80 percent of the necessary food, 56 percent of the budget is formed at the expense of money from Moscow. But in the region there is an economic and economic elite. Why does it put up with such a situation that the leaders of enterprises, say, besides you, are still the leaders of Vostoktransflot, are they all intimidated and satisfied with such economic activities?

Alexander Kirillichev:

In no case, no one can be satisfied with such economic activity. If there are 60 percent of unprofitable enterprises in the region, then it is clear that there is no money on the territory. Therefore, if five years ago, transfers from the center made up only 18 percent in the consolidated budget, now they are more than 50 percent, and this is all increasing and continuing. The main thing is the main thing in another - when all this will stop, and when they pay serious attention to what is happening in the Primorsky Territory. Look, only investments since 1990 have decreased by 10 times, the latest investments, over the past year, have been only $ 18 million in this territory. 9.2 of them, this is the coverage of the losses that occurred in the business center of the Huindai Corporation. Only 9 million dollars of authorized capital. We are afraid, afraid of the situations that happened, which was created by power in the territory. The main thing is that business leaves, leaves these places. This is the most important. We are already becoming normal when the worker who works in the mine receives 240 rubles a month, and this is said - good. No, this should not be.

Mikhail Sokolov:

I want to ask Marina Loboda: our guest criticizes the governor: tell me, from your point of view, how will you evaluate his activity as the head of one of the largest enterprises in the region?

Marina Loboda:

You know, to evaluate, in general, not easy. Alexander Dmitrievich, he, until recently, was a person closed to the press, he did not perform much on radio and television. Perhaps for the first time he became a public person when he got into the regional Duma. Moreover, when he had a conflict with Governor Nazzratenko, if I am not mistaken, then he arose after he touched the holy of the Holy Primorsky Governor - the gold medalists, whom he rewards every year, gives them prizes and patronizes them upon admission to institutes. After that, the conflict arose and began to grow with a snowy lump the popularity of Mr. Kirillichev, and popularity with a sign minus, let's say. What could we find out about him? All official governor's newspapers wrote a lot about him, and, in general, in a negative tone. What did we learn good about him? Well, that this is a strong capitalist, a person, such a warehouse, let’s say, “new Russian” that his enterprise is strong, perhaps the only marine enterprise that not only did not lose its fleet, but even increases and updates it. In line for this enterprise are sailors and dream of working there, because the salary is good and is paid on time. In general, this is a strong entrepreneur of a new wave, and, perhaps, this is his weakest place. Since, since he is a strong man, a strong capitalist, then he stole. It is this version that we are promoting the administration of the region. Alexander Dmitrievich, in my opinion, I do not cunning when I say that the main reproach for you is that you bought the whole shipping company, and that everyone is bastling on you. Such arguments are in use everywhere. You are also reproached with the fact that you are a large part of your fleet, supposedly under a foreign flag, and, supposedly, therefore the region has lost a lot of taxes to the local budget, that, they say, you prefer to feed the bourgeois, and not the budget of the Primorsky Territory. Another reproach - you recently had negligence, not only to praise Mr. Chubais, but it is kind of speaking to him, and this is a "red rag for the bull." This is a consolidated enemy No. 1 of the entire Primorsky Territory. Well, of course, Mr. Kirillichev also became an enemy No. 1, so he has a rather strange reputation, but, you know, it is normal for the Primorsky Territory.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Alexander Dmitrievich, because you apparently cannot really answer such reproaches in the media of the region, then answer with us.

Alexander Kirillichev:

Marina Loboda is right, in fact, I am only against the principle that Mr. Governor brought to the Primorsky Territory. This is a "prospective" principle - when two prospectors dig something, and one finds a nugget, then one remains - the second disappears or dies. The approach of our administration of the region is exactly the same. The man begins to rise, as it were, a certain force appears, the enterprise grows, there is a good development, and, the strangest thing, it is smarter than the people who are in this administration, which means that you must definitely put an end to this person, which is happening. But, the enterprise that I drive, managers and sailors who work in it, they work very well, work great. Over the past 4 years, we have increased income by 4 times, the carrying capacity of our fleet has increased by two and a half times. For five years, we have attracted more than $ 400 million. So, if reasonable, normal people come to the Primorsky Territory, then they will probably attract investments ten times more. Not 18 million that attracted the edge in the last year, but probably hundreds of times more. After all, what is happening with us: our investment climate is zero, and this is only because there is a constant war between the two levels of power - legislative and executive. For some reason, it turns out that all the chairmen of the Duma over the past five years are bad and they need to be changed. I would, as if according to Zhvanetsky, say: “And maybe we have something wrong in the conservatory”? And it is time to get all these people from this "conservatory", to the damn mother, sorry for the expression, otherwise the entire economy of the region will be zero, which is what is happening. I will give you the only example: the revenues from the fishing industry to the budget of the region were 14.5 percent in 1994, and in general until the 90s - more than 50 percent of the GDP of the region, and in recent years - 1997 - 2.4 percent, 1996 - 4.4 percent. I have the right to ask the question: listen to the Lord, are you business executives, or are you hosting this territory? The second is more like.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Alexander Dmitrievich, the opposition to Governor Nazzratenko nominated several candidates, one - Viktor Cherepkov, apparently, under the great pressure, withdrew his candidacy. But Svetlana Orlova remains, you stay. Why, as you explain, you did not unite, and did not put up one person who could go to the polls and win or compete immediately, because the governor specially, to win, achieved a change in the law - that the one who will receive 35 percent of the votes in the first round of the elections, and the winner?

Alexander Kirillichev:

How did he achieve? After all, he worked very seriously, intimidated the same deputies. Someone was burned for someone, as a beautiful plant, someone who could not walk, was brought from the hospital, namely, to vote for the law that Mr. Governor brought to the Duma recently. But I ask a question to myself and the public of Russia: who should introduce the law on the election of the governor to the Legislative Assembly of the region - probably the Duma, not the Mr. Governor, should, but, however, Mr. Governor squeezed out of the deputies so that they adopt this law in such an edition. He is afraid of his own elections. But as I understand it, if a person worked on the territory of the region for more than six years and worked well, then he should have been worn in his hands - no need to be afraid. No need to destroy independent bodies and radio companies, you just need to go out and seem to the people: "Here I am." But Evgeny Ivanovich is afraid. Because he will receive one place - in which - this people will tell.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Do you think that opposition candidates will not let Nazdratenko gain 35 percent of the vote in the first round, despite the information war?

Alexander Kirillichev:

We will do everything so that Evgeny Ivanovich still does not pass and no longer control the territory, otherwise it will not be. I repeat once again: this can lead us to what we are doing now in the Caucasus. We are all afraid - 2.2 million people live in the region. True, there lived more - the forecast is such that only 800 thousand will remain in 2004 - the people are running from the territory of the region. And this is a wonderful territory, any territory should envy. Where is kiwi growing, this wonderful product, in Russia? In the only place - in the Primorsky Territory. And we ask for money at the budget and show it to Moscow with a finger that it is to blame for the bad thing that is happening in our region. It turns out that they are to blame for the fact that we do not know how to business. That is, in other words, we do not understand the elementary laws of the economy, and the economy is translated briefly - reasonable management - under the word reasonable, a reasonable person should appear, and not a person who forms “prospective” in the territory of the region, and in other words, gang conditions in the territory of the region.

Mikhail Sokolov:

Mr. Kirillichev, do you associate the support of Nazdratenko to Moscow with the fact that he, in turn, supported and began to promote the unity block by Sergey Shoigu?

Alexander Kirillichev:

There is undoubtedly support. I can’t say exactly which block, probably, most of this Bear Bloc - he is also “unity”. There is probably this support, but in order not to happen, no matter how we build lives, whatever approaches, the only correct one is that the law must be observed, and all those laws that are written, the Russian Federation and the territory, we must comply with them. We, in the Primorsky Territory, do not follow the law. Several times from the lips of the first person we heard the following words: "Yes, I violate the law, yes, I act illegally, but after certain years I will prove to everyone that I am right." That is, I understand so that Mr. Governor says: "You go to green, and I will go to red!" The outcome is clear.