Results of the past year or all the top news from CBD

The end of the outgoing year and the beginning of a new year are, as a rule, a rich time for summing up various results, assessments and forecasts. The coming year was no exception. Almost all influential Foundations and well-known experts also took care of summing up the results of the political year, which, traditionally, was expressed in the publication of various ratings in the field of politics, social activities, etc.,

We will also try, using established practice, to designate, as they say now, the Top or list of the most significant events of the outgoing year for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, which caused the greatest discussion among its citizens.

Of course, on these holidays I would like to talk about good events, about positive facts, however, this year will most likely go down in history as one of the most politically dramatic years in the history of the republic. However, in Kabardino-Balkaria this surprises few people, since the past year only continued the inglorious series of the last 13 years, during which the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has been headed by the current leadership.

This year, the republic again found itself among the regions that continue to add to the sad statistics of terrorist attacks, kidnappings, murders and high-profile scandals.

Not only the republic, the entire country, but also the world community were shocked by the inhumane reprisal of the local television and radio campaign journalist Kazbek Gekkiev and the rector of the Kabardino-Balkarian Agrarian University Boris Zherukov.

Many well-known Russian and local analysts note that the bloody accents of terrorists are increasingly shifting from actions against security forces and businessmen to the public sphere. The victims of their attacks are now not only businessmen and law enforcement officers, but also famous people, whose murder can shake up the already difficult situation in the KBR. Observers who well understand the peculiarities of the relationship between elite groups in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic do not exclude that the changed tactics of the bandits are associated with an intensified struggle for power between the ruling and aspiring clans. So, the coming year is unlikely to be calmer for the residents of the CBD than the previous one.

Another, most resonant topic, which has not ceased to top all scandal ratings in recent years, is the notorious topic of corruption, which today has penetrated almost all spheres of society, drawing into its orbit more and more new industries and political figures of the highest rank of the republic.

Summing up the results of the year, it was probably possible not to talk about this phenomenon, which has already become the talk of the town, however, as a classic once so succinctly noted: “They steal.”

Moreover, they steal godlessly, they steal, as it turns out, with “the highest permission.”

It is incorrect to say that the republic’s authorities are unable to cope with pervasive corruption, which has become the main obstacle to the effective economic and political development of the republic.

But it is true that the authorities themselves turned out to be participants in the most notorious corruption scandals of the year, the number of which over the past year would have made it possible to single them out in a completely separate rating, in the nomination, say, “Thief of the Year.” The first place would probably be shared between ex-chairman of the government Herter and head of the administration of the head of the republic Zhamborov. By the way, the mayor of the republican capital, Khagasov, would also be among the “prizes.”

So, alas, they steal...

And we have to talk about this because, in the shadow of corruption scandals, such important socio-political events as, for example, the fate of Syrian Circassian compatriots, or the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the North Caucasus from the Nazis, were undeservedly deprived of public understanding. But just recently, the fate of the related Adyghe people, the Abkhaz, caused a massive upsurge of patriotism and consolidated the entire Adyghe ethnic group. The Adyghe diaspora also responded en masse to the plight of the Kosovo Adyghe refugees.

It turns out that corruption is corroding the very moral foundations of the local community, the “soul” of the people, if you will.

In addition, it became obvious that in the light of the goals and objectives outlined by the state leadership in the fight against corruption, the actions of local authorities come into serious conflict with the course of the President of the Russian Federation. These contradictions will have the most unforeseen consequences, which could cause serious political damage to both the current President of the Russian Federation and the entire system of power in the country.

In light of the most important political events of the year, one cannot help but mention the resignation of the Kabardino-Balkaria government and the formation of a new cabinet of ministers.

So far, very little time has passed since the new Cabinet began to fulfill its duties, so it is too early to definitely evaluate this event.

There are two types of forecasts in public opinion on this matter. If the optimists, whose number is noticeably decreasing after the next personnel leapfrog, still cherish the hope: “What if!”, then the pessimists are more pragmatic: “We’ll somehow survive these too.”

It seems that, based on the well-known aphorism that a pessimist is a well-informed optimist, the emergence of a new player in the struggle for the highest post in the republic gives more grounds for pessimistic forecasts.

The cooperation between the head of the republic and the chairman of the government, noted as a sign of emerging stabilization, appears to be a temporary phenomenon.

In Moscow, A. Kanokov is considered a “downed pilot”, and in R. Khasanov they see their new favorite.

It is clear that the current head will strive to maintain the status quo as long as possible, while the other side, on the contrary, intends to force the situation. At the same time, the so-called wavering groups within the elites are also not happy with the situation of uncertainty.

Here, both pessimists and optimists understand that today’s temporary truce is fraught with a new surge in terrorist activity as a means of putting pressure on the Kremlin, leaking compromising material on competitors and other related Caucasian methods of political struggle.

Among the pleasant events that pleased the residents of Kabardino-Balkaria in 2012, perhaps the second consecutive victory of the republican team in the Caucasus Games should be noted. In fact, the opening of a singing fountain and the concert of half-forgotten Moldovan pop stars should not be considered special achievements of the authorities.

Top, but not the same one.

Recently, it has become fashionable to rank political figures and regional heads based on an assessment of the quality of their work, the degree of political influence, both in the region and in the country, etc. As a rule, these are expert opinions of well-known Russian specialists, placing politicians in certain evaluation schemes and parameters.

This is, of course, necessary and useful, since society needs regular, up-to-date political information, and political activity presupposes a certain level of publicity and communication, the ability to find contacts with allies and compromises with opponents, participation in public initiatives, interaction with the media, which, in in principle, and should show the results of the ratings.

It is possible to talk about an objective assessment of all these ratings only if adjusted to Russian reality, taking into account the obvious bias of many of these studies, and their results are so skillfully disavowed by local media controlled by regional leaders that they are accessible only to a small, most interested part of society.

Here is just one example of manipulating public opinion in a particular region.

The press service of the head of Kabardino-Balkaria reported in January of this year that the Agency for Political and Economic Communications (APEC) published the results of the December rating of the influence of governors, the results of which indicate the strengthening of the influence of the Head of Kabardino-Balkaria Arsen Kanokov.

The head of the KBR strengthened his position in the ranking, moving in the group of regional leaders with strong influence from 67th place in November to 47th in December 2012.

Let us recall that according to the results of the media rating of the heads of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for November 2012, prepared by the National Monitoring Service together with the Institute of Independent Political Research based on the coefficient of information openness, Arsen Kanokov was among the three most information open governors of the country.”

Agree, having heard such a message on local TV or read such a message in local newspapers, a resident of the republic must conclude that the head of the region is gaining authority in all positions.

In fact, Arsen Kanokov is indeed in 47th place in the December APEC ranking. However, at the same time, local journalists did not say a word about the fact that this indicator is the penultimate among the heads of the North Caucasian Federal District: Kadyrov is the head of the Chechen Republic, 2nd place in the ranking,
Evkurov - head of the Republic of Ingushetia 14, Mamsurov - head of the Republic of Northern
Ossetia - Alania 33, Magomedov - President of the Republic of Dagestan 46,
Kanokov - President of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic 47th, Temrezov - Head of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic 52nd place.
It is also not reported that in the rating of information openness of the heads of regions of the year, prepared by the same “National Monitoring Service” together with the “Institute of Independent Political Research”, to which the press service refers for November, based on the results of 2012, the head of the KBR, also in Among the outsiders: Yevkurov Yunus-bek 5th place, Kadyrov Ramzan - 43rd, Magomedov Magomedsalam - 48th, Kanokov Arsen - 56th, Mamsurov Taimuraz - 63rd place.

In fact, there is no mention of the final ratings of such authoritative Centers as the Kremlin rating of governors and the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation, where the positions of the head of the KBR look more than unconvincing.

Agree, such comments from the Kabardino-Balkarian media are very reminiscent of the old Soviet joke of stagnant times, when in a race of 2 cars - an American Ford and a Soviet Zhiguli, our car lost the competition with a large lag. This is how the Soviet press reported about it: “Our Zhiguli, having demonstrated all the advantages of the socialist automobile industry, came to the finish line in 2nd place. The American Ford finished only penultimate.”

This is, in general, not a festive comment.

I don’t want to scare anyone with possible troubles in the coming year, however, as they say, forewarned is forearmed.

As it seems, the government in the republic has already reached such a stage of degradation when the system is making more and more decisions that contradict not only public, but also its own, vital interests. In this sense, the new year 2013 promises to be even more difficult. We will certainly see a new round of political struggle, and the emergence of new political figures and combinations and the most unexpected alliances. All signs show that Kabardino-Balkaria is entering a new time, when everything will change, and so radically and decisively as we could not even imagine yesterday.

And yet, dear compatriots!

Patience, optimism and hope!