Practice Again Beats Theory

Dmytro Tabachnyk, Presidential Adviser:

Among the primary targets are the Finance Minister and Vice Premiers handling the economic bloc. Traditionally, a lot of verbal attacks will be aimed at the humanitarian bloc where financing is the worst while the work force is the largest. Personally, I regard the ministers in the humanitarian bloc С Minister of Education Mykhailo Zgurovsky, Health Minister Andriy Serdiuk, and Minister of Culture Dmytro Ostapenko С as top professionals and decent persons.

Parliament lobby sources point to a number of candidates to fill vacancies that will turn up shortly: the Left want veteran Soviet planners and Right want reform-oriented people. I will not mention any names, because no official appointments have been made, nor do I think that the replacements will signify any changes in Cabinet policy. No changes can be made in a nonexistent policy, and if the government is just patching up holes, this is not a policy but fighting a forest fire.

Oleksandr Riabchenko, Chairman, Verkhovna Rada Privatization Oversight Special Commission:

Five to six ministers will be replaced, the ones always in the forefront, primarily the Finance Minister. Candidacies are being negotiated in strict secrecy and the opinions voiced are markedly controversial. Viktor Pynzenyk is rumored to have been offered the Finance MinisterХs portfolio and the First Vice PremierХs seat. How the hell am I supposed to know whether it is true? IMF remains the key factor anyway, meaning that Mitiukov cannot be retired unless a replacement acceptable to IMF is found. Otherwise the Fund might take offense and we would kiss goodbye all our loans. Being in agreement with IMF is to the Cabinet like an analogy of its action program.

Roman Bezsmertny, Standing Presidential Representative in Parliament:

While preparing the report, a number of factions proposed certain names and agencies.

The CabinetХs policy is subject to constant changes, depending on the situation in Parliament. However, no conceptual changes in this policy are possible. As for the governmentХs specific moves С in terms of privatization and financial support С they are very much dependent on Parliament. Most changes will take place in the Cabinet-Parliament relationship. The parliamentary committees must become the ideologists of this policy in certain quarters.