By Mykhailo AKSANIUK,The Day
On January 29 Odesa expected the arrival of Prime Minister Viktor Pustovoitenko
himself, who had previously visited Zaporizhzhia to patronize the constituent
assembly of Zlahoda (Harmony). Come what may, this is the beginning of
a Ukrainian counterpart to the famous Our Home is Russia. However, at the
last minute, the organizational level of launching the presidential election
campaign was radically cut down to Cabinet Minister Anatoly Tolstoukhov.
Yet, a deal with SDPU(o) leaders seems to remain in force whereby representatives
of the United Social Democrats' "organizational nucleus may follow the
Cabinet team's itinerary in parallel. True, the mission of the former,
at least in Odesa, caused overt displeasure of the delegates at the fifth
regional SDPU(o) conference.
As soon as representative of the SDPU(o) Kyiv headquarters Andriy Nosenko
began to lecture from the rostrum his local party colleagues that it was
better not to hurry in supporting Yevhen Marchuk as presidential candidate,
the hall heard a series of shouts from various parts: "Time, time!" Feeling
that the Odesa boys might literally remove the young, if zealous, speaker
from the rostrum, People's Deputy Andresiuk asked his younger fellow member
to step down. Then he devoted a sizable portion of his speech to explaining
that the Odesa people may, of course, support the political figure that
appeals to them most. However, one need not hurry. For this is, as he frequently
reminded the audience, within the competence of a party congress.
When this SDPU(o) politburo member was told that Odesa, in parallel
with the Social Democratic conference, was also hosting the founding assembly
of Zlahoda overtly ignored by local Social Democrats, he was terribly surprised.
Still, he reiterated in a press interview that he did had not yet chosen
whether or not to support presidential candidate Marchuk.
Nor could Mr. Andresiuk clearly answer the question of SDPU(o) Prymorsky
district leader Volodymyr Koyev: "Who will take responsibility for the
massive outflow of people from the party's district organizations in the
next few months, people who had in fact joined SDPU(o) during the parliamentary
election campaign in order to support Mr. Marchuk?"
Newly-elected leader of the Odesa Social Democrats, Mr. Maksymovych,
said that, contrary to wishes of SDPU(o) leadership, particularly Mr. Medvedchuk,
he would uphold the freedom of his local fellow party men who had also
elected on January 29 Yevhen Akymovych, chairman of the Odesa Committee
in Support of Mr. Marchuk, to the party's governing body. "And if the support
of Mr. Marchuk by me and like-minded people proves incompatible with SDPU(o)
membership, I will choose to quit the party! I will never support nor vote
for Mr. Kuchma," noted the top Odesa Social Democrat.






