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TALKING WEATHER AGAIN

10 March, 00:00

There is an old anecdote about people on a deserted island whiling away the time telling anecdotes. Since all these stories have been told time and again, they decided on a rational approach, giving each anecdote a number so that when someone says, for example, «No. 10,» everybody laughs. Below is one such old story, although unnumbered as yet. In short, the President has once again nominated Lanovy and Lytvak, and Parliament has again voted down both.

There is another parallel. Ukrainian political headliners are like weather forecasters. They make no secret of their doings and just say that there will be a scandal, and a scandal there is. In this sense, President Kuchma may well be compared to Ruslana Pysanka, the popular and rather large television weather girl.

Using some of her terminology, in international relations the weather has been determined of late mainly by high pressure areas. A hurricane is gathering in the West as Secretary of State Madeline Albright voices concern over US companies in Ukraine, saying that financial aid from Congress may be reduced. In the East, a hurricane came and went as Russian and Ukrainian legislators almost came to blows. Actually, why did the Ukrainian Solons have to go to Moscow? As if they did not know the outcome. At the same time, there is much fog in Ukrainian-Russian relations. Despite talks between Messrs Kuchma and Yeltsin and declarations like «We are not going to pay Lazarenko’s debts,» the current Ukrainian Premier flew to Moscow after the President’s state visit and returned with a schedule of payments on gas supply arrears. As for the Ukrainian-Russian accords, a clever man thus described the situation: «The fewer bad things they find in this treaty, the greater will be their conviction that there are secret protocols selling their native land lock, stock, and barrel.» There is another reason for the situation that has developed. Anton Buteiko of the Foreign Ministry said last week that they no longer handle relations with Russia. Everything is done by the Presidential Administration.

However, there are bright spots in the heavily clouded skies. There are places where the sun is shining and everybody is happy. Information Minister Zinovy Kulyk and Kyiv’s Prosecutor’s Office have demonstrated just one such bright spot. The former said that, by terminating coverage of Parliament sessions, he abided by recommendations from the Central Elections Committee. The latter, by overriding nominations for the City Hall, joked that they had actually quoted someone from the Presidential Administration who said, «Under the Constitution, the specificities of municipal power in Kyiv are determined by law.» Why should anyone care watching the Prosecutor’s Office act in lieu of the Constitutional Court and hinting thinly at whose political stand they support? The main thing is that all this sounds funny. True, after Parliament’s approval of the law on the Ukrainian capital, municipal elections are not important, if at all. The said law confirms its vague status, saying the highest administrative authority is vested in the mayor, to be elected, and executive powers are in the hands of the Presidential Representative. After all, people sitting high and making us laugh deserve awards. Maybe an Emmy.

Newspaper output №:

№5, (1998)

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Day After Day