New Blood Needed for Turkmen Economic Progress

As Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov sets out his thinking on how the economy can move forward, NBCentralAsia commentators say progress will depend on recruiting a new generation of managers, and allowing them the freedom to work.

On May 9, the government website Turkmenistan.gov.tm published a paper by the president on an economic strategy for Turkmenistan, in which he called for a modernisation programme based on a “post-industrial model”. Berdymuhammedov laid particular emphasis on the labour force, and said skilled professionals were vital.

Since coming to power in 2007 after the death of his predecessor Saparmurat  Niazov, Berdymuhammedov has carried out a number of reforms, including abolishing the quasi-parliamentary Khalk Maslakhaty, restoring school education to ten years and university courses to five years, re-establishing the Academy of Sciences, allowing some internet access, and adopting a more open foreign policy.

His critics say, however, that Berdymuhammedov is perpetuating many features of the Niazov era – authoritarian policies, rigid top-down management and irrational appointments.

The fact that management styles and practices are still so poor could thwart the president’s plans for economic growth.

“The Niazov pattern of management persists,” said Annadurdy Khajiev, a Turkmen economic analyst based in Bulgaria. “The same systematic dismissals are meted out at cabinet meetings, where the ministers stand up like schoolchildren as they get told off by the president, write things down in their notebooks and don’t dare look the president in the eye, let alone raise an objection.”

Just as in Niazov’s time, officials are humiliated in public, frequent reshuffles are conducted among senior and mid-level officials, and dismissals are accompanied by high-profile resignations.

New appointments are made on the basis of how trusted the individual is.

“At the recruitment stage, people are still checked for loyalty to the regime, connections with top officials, corruption, and even their place of origin,” said an insider source who requested anonymity. “A solid ideological background is more important than professional ability in a potential employee. Graduates of foreign universities are not wanted.”

Another commentator with a lot of experience of working in government says there are no mechanisms for assess educational qualifications, and no link is made between a candidate’s professional background and the needs of the job.

“This is apparent from reports by employment agencies,” he said. “Employers’ requirements diverge significantly from the educational background of job-seekers.”

There are too many accountants and managers and not enough experts in corporate and municipal management, logistics and IT.

The expert recommends establishing an agency to monitor labour supply and demand, a national database of professionals covering all sectors of the economy, and a new system of retraining.

An official from the ministry of economy and development agrees with this view.

“We used to have Gosplan,” he said, referring to the Soviet state planning body. “They knew how many people and which specialisations were needed. Now we have an excess of low-skilled workers, but no highly qualified professionals.”

A parliamentary staff member said President Berdymuhammedov was now prepared to hire younger professionals and retrain existing ones. “After all, he is always reshuffling personnel from one position to another, without any result,” said the official.

Another commentator argues that Berdymuhammedov has had plenty of time to bring in fresh blood, but has failed to do so.

“The authorities may be afraid of an influx of fresh-thinking, more competent and open-minded professionals,” said an observer.

This article was produced as part of IWPR’s News Briefing Central Asia output, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy.