Prokhorov Sees Faults of Political System, Not Only Infrastructure Degradation Behind 'Bulgaria' Sinking
MOSCOW. July 22 (Interfax) - Business tycoon and leader of the Right Cause party Mikhail Prokhorov believes that the sinking of the motor ship Bulgaria "is the consequence of the rapid degradation and destruction of the infrastructure."
"In 20 years, we have built merely five nuclear power units compared to two a year in the 1980s. We are building 1,000-1,600 kilometers of highways a year compared to 45,000 kilometers in China, and of incomparable quality. The condition and maintenance of our river fleet doesn't stand any criticism at all. The tragedy of the Bulgaria is a sad episode in the general consistent pattern," he wrote on his web blog on Friday.
"It is possible and necessary to punish the officials responsible for what happened on the Kuibyshevsky reservoir," Prokhorov believes. "But I am afraid that another wave of criminal cases and personnel purges (until the next case) will not restore order, launch the mechanism of modernizing the infrastructure or remove total corruption," he says.
Prokhorov believes there are many responsible sides for the accident and that "the state is an inefficient owner."
"Nobody has undertaken it to attract private investment in river shipping because it is difficult," Prokhorov notes.
"It is difficult because the system doesn't work. Because too many things in the country are monopolized and cumbersome. The political monopoly is directly responsible for that because it is unable to protect the public and unable to guarantee the country's development. Besides, the monopoly is trying to silence the public. If it is not destroyed, the degradation will continue," he believes.
"Under the protection of the monopoly, party officials have become a special class. Their number has soared while the criteria of choice have run down to the existence of friendly, commercial or family relations with superiors," Prokhorov says.
"The combination of the shadow business and corrupt officials put in motion an enormous machine of pumping out resources from our own country. And as this entire system is sponging on the infrastructure built back in Soviet times, the hardware doesn't stand it from time to time. Then tragedies such as the Bulgaria occur," Prokhorov said.
"Nothing is going to change, unless forces that are ready to assume actual responsibility appear in power. Responsibility to protect our people. Responsibility for development, including the infrastructure. There should be politicians in power who will be resolving problems instead of keeping people silent about them. I see this as the main task for myself and for the Right Cause," Prokhorov concluded.
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