Ruling Elite Lacks Decency and Competence

At the beginning of 1997, we carried out a nationwide poll within the framework of a planned research program - and I stress planned, not commissioned (1,200 respondents from different regions). Looking back at the turnout now I find myself thinking that the trends we discovered then have hardly changed. The figures spoke for themselves and now that those in power, faced with elections, seem to have once again remembered the people, these figures should be cited again.

During that poll we asked the respondents what they thought the ruling elite lacked in the first place. In fact, the question read, "If you think that decisions made by those in power are not always correct, what, in you opinion, is the main reason for such wrong decisions?" Practically none of the respondents considered that most of the decisions made were the right ones; 29% stated that dishonesty was the main reason; 22% pointed to the lack of desire to assume any responsibility (which is akin to dishonesty, you will agree); 27% considered incompetence the main reason. Most respondents believed that those getting to the executive summit were mainly concerned about their positions and pockets, not the state and people. In fact, this view was fully supported by 67% of the respondents, and 24% tended to agree with it.

Indirect evidence that people suspect those in power of dishonesty and incompetence is the fact that the populace is keenly interested to hear about top-level bureaucrats' involvement in or with criminal cases.

We asked the respondents to determine precisely how interesting they found certain aspects of life at the top. 70% pointed to this involvement; 53% wished to have more information about the ruling elite's personal incomes. Professional experience interested 58%; 54% mentioned IQ and academic background. Considering this, I think that the electorate would welcome the publication of the elite's tax returns and IQ tests as is traditionally done in the West. As for tax returns, the issue has been raised on more than one occasion. It would, of course, be interesting to watch the IQ issue put to the vote at the Verkhovna Rada, especially if the vote were a roll-call one.

The third group of poll indices is habitually referred to as private life: health, family, and friends. This is generally considered of special interest to the man in the street. Ukraine, however, turned out very different from, say, the United States. 34% of the respondents wanted to know about the ruling elite's health; 28% were interested in their social background, and even fewer (23%) wanted to know about their friends; 22% percent cared to know about their family status. Apparently, the masses are mostly interested in what they believe to be the main cause of wrong decisions made on high: dishonesty and incompetence. Considering that 38% of the respondents stated that their life was "very dependent" on the ruling elite (37% said that dependence was "sufficient"), this interest is keen indeed - and rather hazardous for those getting prepared to run in the next presidential race.

Such was the "elite topology" of mass consciousness at the time of our poll. I think that the most recent developments - I mean all those publicized criminal cases involving the elite - served only to sharpen some of the aspects mentioned here. How are the people to elect another President, how are they to be sure that the candidate has the right IQ and is honest and competent enough for this highly demanding post? One of our questions was, "Who will you listen to trying to understand where truth and falsehood are in our society?" 18% mentioned journalists; 10%, friends; 8%, experts, but most (48%) declared they trusted no one except themselves. It would be very useful to know exactly what they meant.