Regime Needs Zlahoda; People Need Solidarity

WANTING SOMETHING DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN DO IT

As the government-sponsored media repeatedly stressed, the assembly was visited by representatives of the Ukrainian societal elite. The meeting was so elite that it was impossible to find among its participants a single, as someone once said, "representative of the working people." To identify the qualitative composition of the association, its founders may be tentatively divided into three groups: the first consists of those in power and those close to them; the second comprises those who depend to an extent on the authorities for business, promotion, decorations, or awards; the third includes executives who entered this public association against their will in order not to expose to reprisals the collectives they head. Naturally, these groups have different attitudes toward the idea of the association.

Now let us consider Zlahoda's ability to achieve its enunciated goals. Neither the President nor the government have been able of late to overcome negative trends in the nation's development. Socioeconomic conditions have worsened so much that a considerable number of individuals have begun to feel nostalgic about the Soviet past. This re-enforces the leftist electorate and produces a large number of those who could potentially support the Left.

As to preserving statehood, much has been done here precisely to the contrary. This means distorting the national idea with resounding appeals to national consciousness, for many now in Zlahoda were more enraptured with themselves in Ukraine than Ukraine in themselves. A state rests on six whales: the economy, finances, the armed forces, science, education, and culture. Suffice it to look at the state of affairs in these spheres to see that the state is crumbling. No doubt, there are people in Zlahoda who know what to do and how, but the trouble is that they are rejected by the ruling elite, for they do not belong to it. The rulers listen to neither scholars nor industrialists, and they have no desire at all to use the nation's intellect, thinking that lack of knowledge is the best economic concept.

Little wonder, most of our citizens have raised the question of what is to be done in the current situation when the rulers call for unity, offering a carrot in the shape of a 2-2.5-fold wage rise enshrined in the Ukraine-2010 Program. This means we will be earning 80-100 dollars per month, not 40, in 11 years. We have already written that in the past few years Ukrainian society has not only gotten older but also wiser. Thus the people know only too well that under current conditions, when the regime persistently turns a deaf ear to them, any harmony between them and it is out of the question. No one in Zlahoda regards the ordinary citizen as an equal partner. They only want to govern the latter, influence his consciousness, advise him whom to vote for, and instill in him a sociopolitical sadomasochism, i.e., love of the government which maltreats him.

So it is quite natural that the people's wisdom and instinct for self-defense have brought forth an idea to form a People's Solidarity for Social Security and Mutual Assistance public association.

PEOPLE'S SOLIDARITY AS
A PLATFORM FOR SOCIETAL CONSOLIDATION

This association's key feature is that the initiative to form it came from below: it consists of not only the elite but also representatives of the broadest strata of our society, and it was created by the people to resolve the most pressing problems by a joint effort.

The people know that the current situation cannot continue, and changes should begin with those in power. This is why they carefully size up and assess alternative candidates to Leonid Kuchma. They more often than not set their eyes on Yevhen Marchuk.

The problem of societal consolidation lies in the geopolitical and social planes. The problems of East-West Ukrainian harmony, as well as the preservation of social peace, are so acute that we can say: the ability to solve them accounts for 90% of the success not only at the presidential elections but also in further activities. In this aspect, it is Mr. Marchuk's candidature that can unite people of divergent political beliefs from different social strata and regions of Ukraine. He can do so owing to his political reasonableness and attitudes to the problems of preserving statehood, forming an effective system of social security, and establishing order in the country. The latter is the most complicated task that only Mr. Marchuk can fulfill. His knowledge, experience and ability to heed other people's opinion are also sufficient for solving problems in the economic sphere.

This appraisal became possible after Mr. Marchuk met the participants in the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where he valiantly withstood a scathing "intellectual attack" from scientists for two hours. You will agree this is somewhat different from meeting a carefully selected audience which asks questions distributed in advance.

The comparative analysis of the two ways of societal consolidation shows that the former, put forward by the current rulers, is unable to solve the problems of this country and, in spite of the declarations, is aimed at retention of power, not consolidation of society. On the other hand, the way of People's Solidarity, relying on mutual assistance, collective reason, industriousness and will-power of the people, leads to the harmony of society's broadest strata, the overcoming of crisis, and the building of a democratic and developed state, with reforms being carried out for the people and not at the expense of their further impoverishment.