Translated material
Vertical or horizontal?
Kaliningrad deputies are unhappy with the regional Public Chamber
It is possible that in the westernmost Russian region the Public Chamber may undergo significant changes. At the last meeting of the regional Duma before the summer holidays, it suddenly became clear that the majority of deputies were dissatisfied with the work of the “civil sector”. Moreover, the problem surfaced quite unexpectedly. Considering the purely procedural issue of appointing their representative to the coordinating council of the regional Public Chamber, the Duma members suddenly began to think - what, in fact, does this chamber do? And how correct?In the Kaliningrad region, the Public Chamber appeared long before the federal one. The experience of its work was largely taken into account when the “big” chamber was created. The “father” of the local Public Chamber is considered to be regional Duma deputy Solomon Ginzburg - it was he who developed the relevant law, and later represented the interests of the regional parliament in the chamber. And the chairman of the Duma Committee on Law and Order and Security, Vladimir Nikitin, proposed leaving him in his original place: “Everyone with whom I spoke on this issue thinks so.”
First Deputy Speaker Konstantin Polyakov was surprised: “Who decided that there should be only one representative from the regional Duma?” Mr. Nikitin explained that such a procedure is provided for by the corresponding regulation on the Public Chamber five years ago - one person each from the main government bodies. Governor Vladimir Egorov previously took part in the work of the chamber from the executive branch. Now there is no one from the regional government. “But it seems to me that the chamber is some kind of amorphous association. What are they doing there? It's unclear! We need to take a serious approach to this issue,” Vladimir Vukolov, vice-speaker of the Party of Pensioners, snapped. He was supported by deputy Valentina Kalinkova (head of the executive committee of the regional “United Russia”). According to her, representatives of fifteen organizations who were dissatisfied with the work of the chamber approached United Russia. “It seems to me that we need to contact the governor and develop a new law on the Public Chamber,” concluded Ms. Kalinkova. Deputy Ginzburg tried to argue that the strength of civil society lies precisely in its spontaneity, and not in “being built into some kind of vertical.” Well-known local oppositionist Vytautas Lopata unexpectedly supported United Russia: “And I agree! The Public Chamber needs active members! The only thing she had that was worthwhile was a protest against the cancellation of the governor’s message.”
Indeed, the recent speech of Kaliningrad social activists against the idea of Georgy Boos to cancel the annual gubernatorial address caused a lot of noise. People in the region were surprised then - how did the chamber manage to find so much civic courage in itself? Apparently, this fall she will have to pay for it. After all, the speaker of the regional Duma, Sergei Bulychev, proposed curtailing the discussion. “I agree with the opinions of my colleagues. But I think it’s wrong to approach this issue formally. Let's return to this issue in the fall, after the holidays. In the meantime, I propose to remove it,” said the chairman and was the first to raise his hand. The issue was removed, but the residue, as they say, remained.
As the first vice-speaker of the regional Duma, Konstantin Polyakov, explained to Vremya Novostey, the deputies were simply not ready for a comprehensive discussion of such a sensitive topic. “It surfaced spontaneously. And this is a very serious issue concerning civil society. We have to create a new law on the Public Chamber. And at the same time, prevent it from turning into a political arena. Otherwise, there will be a second Duma, and who needs that?” - said Mr. Polyakov. According to him, the chamber should become a structure that can tell the authorities: “You are on the right road, comrades!” The question is whether the reconstructed Public Chamber will be able to say that the “comrades” in power are going in the wrong direction.