REORGANIZATION, THEN REFORM: KYRGYZSTAN'S NEXT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 001145 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KG SUBJECT: REORGANIZATION, THEN REFORM: KYRGYZSTAN'S NEXT STEPS? REF: A. BISHKEK 1139 ¶B. BISHKEK 1114 ¶C. BISHKEK 1065 BISHKEK 00001145 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a friendly meeting with the Ambassador, Oksana Malevanaya, the Head of the President's Secretariat and one of the designers of the ongoing restructuring of the Kyrgyz Government described the purpose and expected impact of the changes. She said that all policy making will be done in the new Presidential Institute, with the Prime Minister and the Ministries (except the Foreign Ministry) focused on implementation. She said that the Prime Minister will no longer be a key interlocutor on international issues, and that the Foreign Minister should be considered his superior. Foreign assistance will move to the Institute from the Prime Minister's office. Malevanaya described the reorganization as the beginning of intensive reforms to modernize and professionalize the bureaucracy away from residual Soviet-era mindsets and methods and to increase transparency and decrease opportunities for corruption. Malevanaya welcomed the Ambassador's suggestion of close cooperation between the Secretariat and the Embassy on issues of reform. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador met with Oksana Malevanaya, Head of the President's Secretariat, on October 22 to discuss the government reorganization that is currently underway (ref a). Malevanaya had informed Charge two weeks previously about the upcoming reorganization (ref b),and has apparently been one of the architects of the changes. The meeting was extremely cordial and Malevanaya seemed very open in discussing the reforms, changing roles of the different institutions, and her own role. Foreign Minister Up/Prime Minister Down -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador sought clarification of the changes in the roles of the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister, asking as well whether FM Sarbayev was likely to remain in his position. Malevanaya was forceful in her confirmation that Sarbayev has been doing a good job, has pleased the President, and will remain in his position. She said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and specifically the Minister, will play an even larger role under the new arrangement. As a "State Minister," Sarbayev would coordinate all issues related to external affairs. ¶4. (C) In contrast, the portfolio of the Prime Minister will be much reduced, Malevanaya said. The Prime Ministry will become a much more technical post, geared only toward the implementation of policy. Decision making on policy will take place in the Presidential Institute, which includes the Foreign Ministry, and especially in the Secretariat. Ambassador noted that when Prime Minister Chudinov was in the U.S. just weeks ago we had met with him at a very high level, including a short visit with the Secretary of State. She asked who the U.S. should see as the more senior interlocutor under the new structure. Malevanaya answered without hesitation that FM Sarbayev should be considered the senior official for foreign affairs, emphasizing again that Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov will not be in a policy-making role, but only in implementation. She expanded on that theme stating that a new Administration will be created to coordinate the work of the Ministries, but it "will not fall under the Prime Minister, but under the Institute." Economic Development Fund to the Presidential Institute -------------- ¶5. (C) Ambassador noted that we had a draft agreement on the BISHKEK 00001145 002.2 OF 003 structure of the $20 million Economic Development Fund pending with the Prime Minister's office, and asked who would be responsible for such issues now. Malevanaya said that the person appointed to the new position of State Advisor for Innovation, Development and Investment in the Presidential Institute will be the person to work with on this issue. She said that the government would create a commission of highly respected persons, including journalists and people from NGOs, to watch over the operations of its development funds, and perhaps such an organization could also be created to ensure transparency for the EDF. Ambassador agreed that was an interesting idea. ¶6. (C) Ambassador also pointed out that we have had excellent cooperation with the Agency for Drug Control, and in fact, have two people from DEA working there providing information and assistance to the Agency. As a result, it has racked up several major successes over the past year. We hope that the incorporation of the Agency into the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not put this excellent cooperation and good work at risk. Malevanaya responded that, in contrast, the expectation is that, by bringing all the agencies working on illegal drug issues together, counternarcotics work will be advanced. Purposes of the Reform -------------- ¶7. (C) Malevanaya described the reorganization as a crucial second step in what she views as a broad and deep process to reform the government overall. The first step had been identifying the problems and developing institutional mechanisms which would facilitate their resolution. That had been accomplished in the first eight months of the Secretariat's existence (and her service). The reorganization puts those institutional mechanisms into place. She said she had warned her staff, however, that the hard work is not over -- there remain many months of very hard work ahead to get the real reforms underway. ¶8. (C) As an example of the problems confronted and the reforms necessary, Malevanaya turned to the Department of Agriculture which she said "functions as though the old Soviet system were still in place." She said it will take lots of time and effort to change attitudes and institutions and noted that one of the first priorities would be re-education of the government workforce to bring it around to new ways of thinking. ¶9. (C) Ambassador suggested that it might be useful for the Embassy and Secretariat to work together on issues of reform, and that we could begin that process by briefing her team, once it is fully in place, on the work of the Embassy in all spheres, as had been previously discussed with her (ref b). Malevanaya agreed with apparent enthusiasm. She went on to say that "80% of the Kyrgyz population continue to consider themselves 'citizens of the USSR,' rather than of Kyrgyzstan." Russian media has an inordinate, and often not benign, impact on public perceptions here. "I even have to argue with my mother who believes everything she sees on Russian TV," she continued. It is important to change the orientation of the population, getting them to look to the West, as well, she concluded. ¶10. (C) Reducing corruption was another priority, according to Malevanaya. She said the focus would be on reducing the discretion of bureaucrats and increasing both transparency and the quality of government personnel. She noted that if opportunities for corruption were reduced, government jobs would attract people committed to public service, rather than to illicit economic opportunities. Comment BISHKEK 00001145 003.2 OF 003 -------------- ¶11. (C) Malevanaya is the young mother of a one-year-old. In our previous meeting she expressed a desire to staff the Secretariat with young idealistic people committed to change and to the future of their country. In fact, her office seems to be staffed by twenty-somethings. We judge her to be honest in her desire to move the country in the right direction. That said, she is right in believing that the task will be very difficult. There is also likely to be great resistance, not only from the entrenched bureaucracy, but also from the friends and family of the President, including the new Prime Minister. She herself told Ambassador today that she had "as many challenges and opportunities as I have enemies." Finally, adding spice to the mixture, Malevanaya is rumored to be very close to the President's son, Maxim Bakiyev, and some of the reform ideas she talks about are very similar to those he has espoused to us behind closed doors (ref c). Whether all the various interests can be balanced, President Bakiyev's support be maintained and serious reforms implemented is debatable. That said, Malevanaya's openness to cooperate with the Embassy on reform seems like a valuable opportunity. GFOELLER