Abkhazia has 'too many officials' - ex-minister pushes for major overhaul
There are too many civil servants in Abkhazia
According to official data, 40% of Abkhazia’s employed population works in the public sector. Former interior minister Aslan Kobakhia says that with such numbers, no reforms are possible and that drastic cuts are needed.
The bleak figures were announced by MP Dmitry Marshania. He says that globally, civil servants make up around 5% of the workforce, while in Russia the share is about 12%. Abkhazia’s 40% is far too high by comparison.
The government spends around 3 billion rubles (about 38 million dollars) each year to maintain this bureaucracy — a very large sum by Abkhaz standards.
Former interior minister Aslan Kobakhia believes the only way forward is to unite all the fragmented political forces, which, he says, should help President Badra Gunba carry out a major downsizing of the state apparatus — if the president decides to take that step at all. Kobakhia is highly doubtful.
“No president will ever reform the state apparatus. Anyone who tries will become a political corpse. The bureaucracy will simply crush him. The state apparatus is the most organised political force. Whichever way it leans determines who becomes the political leader,” the former minister says.
In his view, the following steps are needed:
“First, ALL political forces must recognise this reform as a national project. A joint commission should be created, chaired by the president and including representatives of all political forces in the republic. All political debate on the issue must be suspended until the commission reaches a final decision.”
Aslan Kobakhia is confident that the parliament will back the commission’s decisions and be ready to amend the legislation. He believes the bureaucracy could be reduced by 50% without major disruption, provided there is political will.
“Perhaps this project could be the start of uniting the nation,” the former minister predicts optimistically.
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There are too many civil servants in Abkhazia
