“We are different”
Today Ne tak is not simply a formula of negation but also a proper name. To be more precise, it is the name of an opposition election bloc formed last Sunday by four political forces: the Social Democratic Party (United) of Ukraine, “Women for the Future,” the Republican Party of Ukraine, and the All-Ukraine Association “Center.” The unifying convention took place at Kyiv’s Russian Drama Theater. Some of the drama company personnel said later that they had never witnessed such standing ovations, not even after the most successful premieres. Indeed, there was a spectacular political show worth applauding, as party supporters did not ignore the new political trend and joined their efforts in launching the parliamentary campaign, turning it into a memorable event. The ceremony included the screening of brief newsreels featuring the leaders of the newly united political parties, sound effects, even a torrent of colorful balloons in the audience. Probably the only things missing were sparklers and a smoke screen previously so successfully “approved” by the Party of the Regions and the BYuT.
We all know that turning party meetings into gala shows is a tradition that supposedly originated in the United States. SDPU(U) leader Viktor Medvedchuk began his speech by lashing out at this tradition: “We have been offered political shows in the American spirit of late...of course, a year after the revolution the Orange supporters are hard put to secure free public enthusiasm.” Medvedchuk was supported by the bloc’s leader Leonid Kravchuk, who declared: “The people don’t trust this government and they will say so on March 26. This government is doing everything ne tak [the wrong way].” After passing this dramatic verdict he raised his head. At the same moment a huge poster was lowered from the ceiling, reading “Opposition Bloc NE TAK!” The audience was ecstatic. It was instantly clear why the word combination was chosen for the name of the election bloc, instead of the previously announced “Leonid Kravchuk’s Bloc.”
The members of the presidium stood up one by one, joined hands, and started chanting Ne tak! Ne tak! Nestor Shufrych was especially zealous. To add to the effect, hundreds of small white, blue, and red balloons floated down from the gallery. Reminiscent of Russia’s national colors, these are the colors of the united bloc. In fact, its leaders hinted at this color at the start of the meeting, even before it was clearly formulated by Kravchuk. For example, Valentyna Dovzhenko said from the podium: “Quality health care is inaccessible to ordinary citizens because of its high cost. Is this the way it should be?” To which her fellow party delegates chanted Ne tak! Ne tak!
Some experts agree that the name of the bloc contains a negative element aimed at inspiring people to act in a negative manner, thus scaring away the electorate. However, this aspect does not seem to embarrass the bloc participants. During a press conference summing up the party convention’s results, Medvedchuk assured those present that the bloc leader did not resort to any spin doctor technologies, but relied on intuition and the needs of the times. None of the United Socialists identified the author of this idea. Shufrych, true to his dramatic self, claimed that the first time they considered giving their association this unusual appellation was after they examined some of the graffiti on street fences. Another deputy added, “There were also graffiti reading ‘Forgive us, Danylych, we got angry’ and ‘Yanukovych was right!’”
Among the five names topping Ne Tak’s list are no pop singers or athletes, only those of the various party leaders: 1: Leonid Kravchuk ; 2: Valentyna Dovzhenko, former Minister of Family, Children and Youth Affairs; 3: Viktor Medvedchuk, 4: Nestor Shufrych, deputy leader of the SDPU(U); 5: Yuriy Boiko, leader of the Republican Party.
During the press conference journalists were also told that the Ne Tak campaign would be headed by Medvedchuk and that Yuriy Zahorodny would be the chief of staff.
Pondering the future configurations of the parliamentary-governmental coalition, the bloc participants insist that their political force will become the basis of its formation. They see the Party of the Regions as their ally in the creation of a parliamentary majority. On the one hand, during his speech Medvedchuk voiced several messages that were openly impartial in the public relations domain. Thus, commenting on the principles of the new association’s activities, he stressed, “Unlike certain political visionaries, we are not proposing an immediate transfer to the federal system.” On the other hand, according to the SDPU(U) leader, there will be “certainly no coalition” between the bloc and the “Orange people.”
Party supporters expect to collect 7-10 percent of the vote on March 26, according to Shufrych and Kravchuk. This is simple arithmetic: the sum total of the members of the four united parties: one million. “If each and every one casts his ballot and brings a minimum of one friend, we will get a good result,” Shufrych summed up optimistically.
Kravchuk noted that “our electorate is in every region of this country.” Ne Tak is not just placing its hopes on the south or east of Ukraine, but on “all those who are disillusioned by the new government...obviously mostly in the southeast, and even though the competition for their ballots is very high, I think we will be able prove our worth,” said a ranking delegate during a conversation in the lobby.
Another factor meant to convince the Ukrainian citizenry that Ne Tak is actually tak is the action program with which they are entering the election campaign. Its clauses envisage a judiciary reform after the constitutional one, raising special state funds to provide for global scientific studies, a categorical rejection of NATO membership, etc. The main thesis is that Ukraine needs another revolution, not a “colored” one but a “revolution of common sense.” Medvedchuk feels sure that Ne Tak will cope with its tasks: “Experience and authority are what our bloc has. We also know how to run things. And as practice has shown, this is not always one and the same thing.” Whether this is right or wrong will be for the electorate to decide.
