Pravda and Otkritost are the names of two government programs instituted by the current General Secretary of the Shasamik Soviet Party, Vladimir Osikov, since 1985. Pravda - "Truth" A political and social policy that eases media censorship, allows freedom of expression, and encourages public debate about government faults and controversial events. Otkrytost - "Openness" An economic policy aimed at decentralizing state planning, permitting limited private business ownership, and encouraging foreign investment to fix prolonged economic stagnation. While these policies initially had support in the Shasamik Soviet, they quickly disrupted the current command economy, exacerbated corruption, led to food shortages in some areas, inflation of the Ruty, and an ever-increasing debt, which had just passed 40 billion in March 1987. This has also led to the resurgence of independence groups across the nation...
