Taras STETSKIV: “People who try to scare us with referendum remind me of serious uncles who lit a torch and are running around the house with it”

Taras Stetskiv, who has been elected Ukrainian People’s Deputy for the third time despite his young age, is often asked by journalists to comment. He knows how to formulate his opinion and often speaks out openly what others prefer to hint at. Last year, after a well-known scandal, he left the then pro-governmental NDP and joined the Reforms and Order Party (PRP). Today, PRP and other national democratic parties have found themselves between the hammer and the anvil of a battle of titans. In an interview with The Day’s corespondent Mr. Stetskiv assesses current events in Ukraine.

“Your faction fervently supported the candidacy of Viktor Yushchenko for President and then, of course, for Premier. Can you explain why Yuliya Tymoshenko was invited to the government and Yuri Karasyk appointed advisor?”

“I wouldn’t say our faction is enthusiastic about these appointments. I can only explain this by the fact that Mr. Yushchenko believes at present that Ms. Tymoshenko will put things in order. She is the object of faith, for there is no rational proof that she will put everything in order concerning the oil and gas complex. I am prepared to accept the word faith in politics. But it seems to me it is not sufficient simply to believe a person.”

“Should there be elections this fall, how do you see your party’s participation?”

“I think the only chance for our party and the whole national democratic spectrum to make a good showing and gain strong positions in the fall is to form a serious, powerful and broad-based coalition incorporating the two Rukhs, PRP, KUN, NDP, the Greens, etc., for the Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Unity Party have in fact formed and united a clan-type bloc to counterbalance these forces. And it is quite obvious we will only be able to show strength in a united Right bloc.”

“There is an interesting piece of information: in many districts of Ternopil region the so-called oligarchic parties upstage the national democratic parties, traditionally strong in Galicia. Moreover, is it not paradoxical that people who set themselves the goal of promoting their material interests and capital look to some extent like the prime movers of progress in contrast to those who bet on ideology and gained no personal property or financial resources, and so their work loses out in many respects against the backdrop of these producers of absolutely concrete results? Which side is now more progressive?”

“I don’t think they are more progressive, but there is a grain of truth in this matter. Why are they rich and we poor? Why are they, not us, in power? This means we, not they, are doing something wrong. In my opinion, a large number of parties and leaders of the traditional national Right wing have simply stopped adequately assessing the realities of today. It is not enough to hiss at oligarchy as bad, villains, and snakes. When politicians comprehend and adequately assess the situation, everything will fall into place.

“But they cannot be the prime movers of progress. They want to make Ukraine their own preserve. There is no other place for them to live in, except this country. People of their come to a bad end under the law in all other states.”

“That would be a long discussion. Still, there are arguments — I saw some in the press recently — that even in the civilized world rich people (for example, Ford) cannot explain the origin of their first millions: only later did they become citizens who strengthened the state, creating jobs and developing new technologies... There are serious grounds to believe that this way of development is quite possible here. Is it possible for other, really ‘poor,’ parties to exert some kind of pressure on the ‘rich’ ones, so that the latter do not become totally corrupt and Ukraine does not turn into a reservation?”

“A certain part of them could leave the semi-shadow and semi-criminal current existence and join honest business, but another part cannot. And which part will be moving really depends on the measure of pressure. And what will be the result? There will be no victory of them over us or us over them, for this scenario would at once cause a social revolution. And this should not be allowed to happen. There will be a kind of symbiosis. But this symbiosis will only be possible if the ‘poor parties’ manage to exert really powerful pressure on the oligarchs who are wealthy but lack principles.”

“What do you think are the prospects of the Yushchenko government? How much time does he have?”

“There are many of those who want this government to make a spectacular departure as soon as in May. I think this could well happen. But I also think the government has a very serious lever to enable it to hold out a long time. This argument is default. There are no other arguments”.