Below are highlights from a recent exclusive interview with the Kyiv Post – his second since taking up the post in February – where he gives a rare glimpse into his political career, as well as his views on nepotism and conflicts of interest in Ukraine.
KP: Your political career started in Donetsk, although you’re a Kyivan. Why is that?
SL: I ran for parliament there once [in a majority constituency]. I spent 24 days there, on and off. In those 24 days I received 25,000 votes honestly. But I was fooled because I didn’t understand terribly well what an election is, and did not [get observers] for the city polling stations because the mayor then told me he would never fail us. But he fooled us because the late [former Interior Minister Yuriy] Kravchenko threatened him with jail. In reality I had won that election, but they stuffed the ballot boxes. However, I am very grateful to them because I ended up not in parliament but at the president’s administration at the time. If I had landed in parliament, I would be the same loafer as the rest of them.
KP: Do you think they’re all loafers in parliament?
SL: Absolutely.
KP: What about your sister [Yulia Novikova, 33, a deputy and member of the Party of Regions]?
SL: You know, there are different types of advancements in the social status. It can be just small career steps, or long ones, like mine. But sometimes people land in high status jobs and their abilities shine in a different light.
KP: How do they shine in your sister’s work?
SL: She was very well prepared for this type of work. She had a good education, as well as broadmindedness and a good intellect. Moreover, her education [as a lawyer] allows her to write laws, and assess draft laws. She knows a lot about the issues of legal policy.
KP: She recently said employing relatives in top government jobs is normal because some families are more talented than others. Do you share her thesis?
SL: She was probably offended because she thinks that she is there [in parliament] not because she’s someone’s relative, but because she can do things in life by herself.
KP: But do you agree with her on her thesis?
SL:I do to a certain degree.
KP: But what about other talented families who, due to this type of selection, fail to show up on the selection radar?
SL:We have 200,000 state officials. I don’t believe they don’t fall under this radar of 200,000 if they want to. All they need is desire. And where there’s a will, there’s always a way.
KP: So, you don’t think that nepotism is a problem for Ukraine?
SL:No, I don’t. In an information society this is not a problem. When the government is not controlled by the society, it can be a problem. I think this whole family theme is a certain vestige, which loses its importance when there is more control, a more developed information society. I think this is a leftover from the time of monarchies, when this was the most effective form of state governance, and relatives were everywhere.
They weren’t very talented, and they were everywhere – and since then the family theme caused this negative attitude. It evolved throughout the 20th century. But with the arrival of TV and Internet everyone has become visible, including officials, especially in democratic countries where there is effective public control over budget expenses and everything to do with state consumption. Perhaps we have it to a lesser degree. But the less corrupt the country is, the less of a problem it becomes.
There are plenty of examples [of family appointments] in America, France and the United Kingdom. But the societies don’t make a fuss about it because it’s not a sign of abuses. And if there is an elected official somewhere in the hierarchy, he is responsible for the rest.
KP: In what way is [Deputy Head of Presidential Administration] Hanna Herman, for example, responsible for her son [Mykola Herman, appointed deputy minister for Emergency Situations]?
SL:I thinkshe carries full responsibility for her son. All the bumps he gets leave bruises on her forehead. I don’t think [all the benefits of her son’s job] are worth the image losses that she will sustain, and has already sustained.
KP: Do you see any conflicts of interests anywhere in Ukraine?
SL: Everywhere.
KP: What’s your personal conflict of interests?
SL: I had one, but I have now unpicked it. There is no such striking conflict now. I am finishing business with people who made me look not terribly appropriate and effective.
KP: Do you mean your ties to [Dmytro] Firtash and [Ivan] Fursin, [co-owners of the RosUkrEnergo gas trading company]?
SL: No comment.
KP: Can you see any conflicts of interests of Valery Khoroshkovsky [head of the State Security Service and owner of the largest media holding in Ukraine]?
SL:Ithink that Khoroshkovsky is a unique person in this respect.He wants to be an A-grade student in everything. Money does not motivate him.
KP: Where else are there clear conflicts of interests?
SL:Everywhere. In every sector I can name you conflicts of interests. If you join up two graphs, the sector and its supervising managers, you will find a conflict of interests.
KP: How are you planning to tackle them?
SL:The president has a clear position on this issue. You cannot just switch it off, like a plug, instantly. The position is to reduce it little by little.
Opinion Editor Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at [email protected].
