Local Government to be Streamlined
Local Government to be Streamlined
President Kurmanbek Bakiev has launched administrative reforms that will axe one of the four tiers of government in Kyrgyzstan. NBCentralAsia observers say that while a more compact system may save on spending, the strategy has not been thought through properly.
On July 4, Bakiev signed a decree to reorganise Kyrgyzstan’s administration systems in three stages. This year and next, most of the regional-level offices of government ministries and departments will be eliminated and regional governors will be stripped of some of their powers. In 2009 and 2010 the two lower levels of local government – district and village administrations - will undergo a process of consolidation, so that there are 25 districts instead of the current 40 and 300 rural administrations, down from 472.
During the third stage in 2010 and 2011, one layer will be abolished altogether – either the region or the district - leaving the country with a three-tier system, including central government.
Keneshbek Dushebaev, a former interior minister, believes that the changes will be a half-hearted attempt at reform if the decision is to regional administrations are kept.
“Why keep the regions if the districts are being merged? The governors will still interfere in the districts and interfere in their work,” said Dushebaev.
The central authorities may have an interest in retaining the regional administrations because they can be easily be used to apply pressure to influence presidential and parliamentary elections, he added.
However, according to Mamat Aybalaev, a former governor of Batken region, it would be better to remove the district level.
“The districts have become obsolete, and the village councils should be directly accountable to the regional administration,” he said. “It’ll eventually come to that. Then we’ll have effective government.”
Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, head of the Association of Village Councils, says that there are great economic benefits to a compact, efficient governance system.
“Getting rid of part of the state system that duplicate one another will lead to cuts in staffing numbers. The government currently spends a lot of its budget on maintaining these officials,” he said.
Political scientist Marat Kazakbaev argues that the reforms are not coherent and the thinking behind them is inconsistent.
“In April, the prime minister said the district administrations were to be axed. Now they’re talking about reducing the governors’ powers. Before you start implementing this kind of reform you have to develop a strategy,” he said.
Administrative reforms should be extended to the entire system including the presidential office and government ministries level, he added.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
On July 4, Bakiev signed a decree to reorganise Kyrgyzstan’s administration systems in three stages. This year and next, most of the regional-level offices of government ministries and departments will be eliminated and regional governors will be stripped of some of their powers. In 2009 and 2010 the two lower levels of local government – district and village administrations - will undergo a process of consolidation, so that there are 25 districts instead of the current 40 and 300 rural administrations, down from 472.
During the third stage in 2010 and 2011, one layer will be abolished altogether – either the region or the district - leaving the country with a three-tier system, including central government.
Keneshbek Dushebaev, a former interior minister, believes that the changes will be a half-hearted attempt at reform if the decision is to regional administrations are kept.
“Why keep the regions if the districts are being merged? The governors will still interfere in the districts and interfere in their work,” said Dushebaev.
The central authorities may have an interest in retaining the regional administrations because they can be easily be used to apply pressure to influence presidential and parliamentary elections, he added.
However, according to Mamat Aybalaev, a former governor of Batken region, it would be better to remove the district level.
“The districts have become obsolete, and the village councils should be directly accountable to the regional administration,” he said. “It’ll eventually come to that. Then we’ll have effective government.”
Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, head of the Association of Village Councils, says that there are great economic benefits to a compact, efficient governance system.
“Getting rid of part of the state system that duplicate one another will lead to cuts in staffing numbers. The government currently spends a lot of its budget on maintaining these officials,” he said.
Political scientist Marat Kazakbaev argues that the reforms are not coherent and the thinking behind them is inconsistent.
“In April, the prime minister said the district administrations were to be axed. Now they’re talking about reducing the governors’ powers. Before you start implementing this kind of reform you have to develop a strategy,” he said.
Administrative reforms should be extended to the entire system including the presidential office and government ministries level, he added.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
