Soviet Union: Pitfalls of Perestroika

When is one Communist more equal than another? When he is tooling around in a curtained, chauffeur-driven limousine with official license plates. In the spirit of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of perestroika (restructuring), however, that ultimate Kremlin status symbol of privilege and power will soon be a memory for thousands of bureaucrats. The Soviet Council of Ministers last week ordered the government's automobile fleet slashed by 40% in Moscow and 20% elsewhere in the country beginning July 1. Says Soviet Economist Abel Aganbegyan: "This is a way to pursue social justice. Politicians must expect to lose their privileges."