Reaction to President's Statement of Public Oversight

Baku/04.02.21/Turan: With the liberation of Karabakh, everyone should feel that a new approach, a new model has begun in state administration. This was stated by President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with AzTV on February 1.

Any actions of officials that cause discontent among citizens reduce confidence in the state apparatus and will not go unpunished.

"I am running out of patience and I want both citizens and officials to know about it," Aliyev said, stressing the need for public control over the restoration work in the liberated territories.

"Ugly buildings will be erected without public control, officials will seize land and build objects for themselves," Aliyev said.

This is not the first time that the president has made public statements. He regularly appeals to citizens on this issue.

Back in 2018, at a meeting with teachers in the village of Mashtaga, the president noted that “public control in Azerbaijan should be strengthened,” stressing that there are still many problems in the country.

“In some cases, information does not reach us without public scrutiny and public activity,” he said.

In 2019, Ilham Aliyev also spoke at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers about the importance of public control.

What should be the mechanism of public control? What steps should be taken to make this public oversight possible? Are the voices of those exercising public control heard?

Erkin Gadirli, a member of the parliamentary committee on legal policy and state building, told Turan that public control would not be very effective in a weak parliament.

“We need to strengthen the parliament. There are also non-governmental organizations. In recent years, they have been harassed a lot, some activists have been arrested, others have fled the country, while the legislation has been tightened, ”Gadirli said.

The parliamentarian believes that for strong public control it is necessary to change laws, eliminate pressure on civil society, and liberalize relations in the country.

“The press should be free. The old structure was abolished (Media Support Council), a new one was created (Media Development Support Agency). We don't know how it will work.

If there is no freedom of the media, then both parliament and civil society will be weak. That is, they are all interconnected, ”Gadirli said.

The solution to all these issues depends on the political will of the authorities, and specifically the president.

“He didn't talk about it before. But, if he speaks openly about it now, it means he is trying to do something or thinking about it, ”the deputy continued.

In his opinion, the reforms are conditioned by new realities, including the victory in the liberation war.

“It will be difficult for the victorious people to control the old methods. In the liberated territories, it is necessary to re-create not only cities and villages, but also social relations.

The President established the institution of his special representatives in these territories. This means that he does not trust the old system of heads of executive power, ”Gadirli said.

In turn, public activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev believes that President Aliyev has raised the issue of public control several times over the past two years and in this way is trying to create the impression that he is not aware of what is happening in the country on the ground and in his team.

“But it’s actually an imitation. A person who has been in power for about 18 years and most of this time with the same team sees very well what is happening.

If he needs information about the situation within the team, and in relations between a citizen and an official, then he has all the resources to obtain information,” the activist said.

Hajiyev believes that Aliyev's statement "is only to reassure citizens and create a positive image for himself."

In his opinion, those who really want public control should strengthen civil society and non-governmental organizations, and support freedom of the press.

“It should also contribute to the formation of parliament through free and fair elections, so that MPs represent the interests of citizens. —021B06-