By Tetiana KOROBOVA, The Day
Events of the past few days serve as convincing proof that those in the
Presidential Administration on Bankova St. have decided: either they stay
in power or step down, leaving this country in ruins.
On the day Ukraine tearfully saw Vyacheslav Chornovil off on his final
journal the Ministry of Justice made a decision actually legalizing the
convention (and party) of old Rukh, repealing the resolutions passed by
Kostenko's convention (thus annulling his party). A purely political gesture,
and an outrageously cynical one, using the funereal music as sound effects,
making all those originally convinced that he died in an accident think
again. Also, just as the coffin was being lowered in the grave the government-run
TV channel ran a tape with Chornovil fighting his "corrupt" fellow party
members. A mean trick and a convenient one, for no one argues with the
dead and everybody listens to great men.
Leftist names were also mentioned in an accusative context; there must
be various theses in reserve which will be used depending on the situation
as a "major argument." Unless Rukh objects to this fetishism (with the
noble name being used as a blunt instrument in a power brawl on high) it
would be difficult to conceive a more blasphemous manner to treat the memory
of Ukraine's most outstanding latter-day patriot. On the other hand, Hennady
Udovenko said on television that Chornovil was killed by the party rift
which made him travel from one region to the next. This and the fact that
Mr. Udovenko succeeded him as party leader testify that the process has
been completed. Rather that stage which began with the President being
pressed for taking the dissenters in hand and setting things right within
Rukh and ended with the Justice Ministry's decision (with those on Bankova
probably being satisfied that from now on the President will have no obstacle
in the person of a Rukh candidate on his way to a second term).
Under the circumstances it would be interesting to know what stand Viktor
Pynzenyk's "decent reformers" are going to take. Will they bide their time
to May or show a "decent" attitude to Rukh's allies until Mr. Udovenko
yields himself to the "reformer's" mercy? If this is what Reforms &
Order is all about, it means that we have once again deceived ourselves
believing that there is a future for Ukraine.
All this looks more like boys playing outdoors than serious politics.
And about the Greens, can one rule out the possibility that the party,
after being entrusted with "managing" the Communications Committee (with
all the consequences, Ukrtelekom included) was made a serious offer, something
like considering Leonid Kuchma's reelection? There is evidence that such
efforts are aimed at the Peasant Party and there is no evidence to assume
that no such efforts will be made with regard to the United Social Democrats.
One could also try to guess who will stay with Leonid Kuchma apart from
Pustovoitenko and the NDP. Or how will the Liberal Party of the newly appointed
executive Volodymyr Shcherban react? The task at hand is to get all the
centrist parties to sign up for Leonid Kuchma, so there are not a million
but at least ten million such signatures. People? Oh, let them vote. They
don't care about parties and their decisions anyway. The important thing
is to secure "general support" beforehand as a powerful public-opinion-making
factor. This is number one. Number two: one ought to remember that "democracy
is not voting but counting the votes." Thus, no one should be surprised
by the possible outcome. Napoleon said that public opinion is a whore.
In this sense our pimps will earn their money's worth, no doubt about it.
Another interesting aspect is that on March 23, The Day carried
an article called "Trap for the Electorate" about Natalia Vitrenko's popularity,
considering that "the best political and social analysts," while struggling
against the other Left candidates, "appointed" her Leonid Kuchma's number
one adversary, who could very well beat him in the second round. We never
suspected its impact, although the information that the most interested
reader hit the roof could well be hearsay.
On the other hand, it is all very understandable. Those plotting to
use Mrs. Vitrenko's charismatic figure against the Left ought to have remembered
the adage about calling in Beelzebub to cast out Satan, and that this remarkable
woman would never be content with having achieved only so much. Now that
she has developed a taste for her position, the limelight and all, and
knowing her own worth, Mrs. Vitrenko takes her standing in the polls very
seriously and will never let anyone use her as a figurehead. Considering
the estimates provided by all those "best political and social analysts,"
the PSPU leader has left all the red-and-pink figures far behind. Following
the election campaign logic, she will forge ahead - i.e., against the existing
regime - and do so with all her innate aggressive energy and resourcefulness,
unless she has to stop for want of funds.
In this situation dispatching Volodymyr Shcherban (recently appointed
Head of the Administration of Sumy) to serve in Mrs. Vitrenko's realm looks
like a very original move, symbolic of the ongoing "reformist" struggle.
Mr. Shcherban deserves sympathy, because his performance will be evaluated
not so much in terms of agricultural output as by the necessary decline
in Mrs. Vitrenko's ratings (and she is really very popular in that region).
Premier Pustovoitenko shows real class dealing with factions. Last week,
having made sure that everybody respects everybody else, it was agreed
that every faction, considering its priority economic interests, will have
a Vice Premier who, in turn, will have a lever to pull when lobbying for
the Cabinet in Parliament. Great. The Prime Minister has proved that he
can work with Parliament in a constructive manner. However, word is being
spread that some no longer request but demand that large enterprises be
privatized using privatization certificates. Now this is something Mr.
Pustovoitenko cannot accept with all his constructive approaches. Anyway,
not for the time being.
In a word (as a wise man said), everything is not as bad as it seems,
but far worse.






