‘Pravda’ letters hard-hitting

Press, 19 February 1987, Page 29

‘Pravda’ letters hard-hitting

By

Tony Barber,

of Reuters, through NZPA Moscow The . Soviet daily “Pravda” has published hard-hitting letters from its readers including a demand for more news on how the ruling Politburo works and a complaint that cynical Communist Party members monopolise the best jobs. Stepping up its drive against opponents of the policies of the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, the party newspaper also gave space to one reader who accused middle-ranking party and state officials of sabotaging the Kremlin’s initiatives.

The 27 letters, which covered an entire page of

“Pravda”, were published in accordance with Mr Gorbachev’s campaign to involve ordinary Soviet citizens in a effort for social and economic renewal.

“Pravda” quoted one letter-writer as saying: "We must promote more clever, capable non-party specialists to responsible positions. I am 40, but I have never seen or heard about a non-party factory director or head of local government.”

The writer —a construction worker named I. Gashev from the city of Ordzhonikidze in the northern Caucasus—went on: “How can we talk about democracy in personnel policy if this state * of affairs continues?” The worker’s bitterness

was echoed by another reader, G. Ariashin from the Ukraine, who wrote: “Most of us Soviet people are honest and patriotic. The only difference is that some have a party card tucked in their pocket and others don’t.”

Mr Gorbachev told a meeting of the party’s policy-making central committee last month that more non-party members should be promoted to responsible positions, and vowed that the party would cleanse its ranks Of careerists and opportunists.

Another “Pravda" letter-writer discussing the Soviet leadership’s drive for change, wrote: “I can imagine under what stress the Politburo, the headquarters of re-

construction, has to work...

“But I would like to know just how this difficult work is carried out How are decisions taken? How democratic is this process?” N. Kobyzev from Kiev, asked.

“I am deeply convinced that a television report on the Politburo’s work would be an extra mobilising force for putting its decisions into practise,” he said. The Politburo, the highest party organ, at present has 11 full and eight non-voting members. Under Gorbachev’s leadership it has started to issue bulletins on its weekly meetings, but it has revealed little of its

internal procedures.

Several letters complained of lethargy and resistance to change in the. party and State apparatus. “To mask its protest, the administrative apparatus in enterprises and institutions has taken up the position of doing nothing,” V. Kartashov, from the city of Dnepropetrovsk, wrote. “There is only one word to describe this position—sabotage,” he said. ' • Another reader, B. Mudrov of Moscow, wrote of “an insurmountable wall of indifference, lack of attention and lack of respect towards your average party member which has built up in the central party and local council organs.”