Maidan: no entry for politicians

The Day has prepared a questionnaire in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the Orange revolution.

Below are the first answers to the following questions:

1. This year we are marking the fourth anniversary of the Maidan, a phenomenon of Ukrainian “tolerance out in the could.” Over these years the political figures brought to power by the Orange revolution have degraded considerably. But does the incompetence of these politicians obliterate all of Ukraine’s achievements? Do you distinguish between the ideas proclaimed at the Maidan and people who may have proved incompetent in implementing them? Did you sense any difference between these notions during the Orange revolution?

2. Have your views on what happened at the Maidan four years ago changed over these years? If so, please specify.

3. What would you recommend proceeding from the recent revolutionary and state-building experience?

4. We often hear that the freedom of expression is among the Maidan achievements. What pluses and minuses does it have? Are you satisfied with its quality?

Myroslava BARCHUK, the Novyi Chas newscaster at the 5th TV Channel:

“I am happy I had Maidan in my life. Moreover I even think that the Orange Revolution was the best event ever to happen in my generation’s life. At least for a short time, we revived eternal values in which happy nations have always believed. In our country they were profaned to such an extent that for decades and even years to speak about them without irony was considered to be hypocritical or pompous. These values are: freedom, democracy, justice, nation, and people. I had deep distrust of the word “people” — a result of its Soviet exploitation. It smacked of hypocrisy until the time of the Maidan. Then, in 2004, we were not ashamed of being moved to tears, hugging, and fraternizing with our fellow countrymen that we had never met before. It helped me understand: this is your people whom you can feel and love.

“I don’t understand the position of those who say: “What was it that we froze on the Maidan for?” I mean, I understand that this is a position of a slave. People who, after two weeks on the Maidan (even with wet feet), hoped to solve all the problems by just handing their country over to a kind king (queen) and in this way get rid of the responsibility for it, would surely feel deceived. When we were chanting “Yu-schen-ko!” or “Yu-lia!” didn’t we mean Ukraine, that is, the way we wanted to see it? Is two weeks on the Maidan the only thing we are able to do for it? Didn’t we understand that a revolution is not a “thing in itself”; that it is not an end in itself — it is a means to this end? Were we ready to keep fulfilling our function of a watchdog?

“Who let the politicians degrade? An instinct to get a bigger piece of the pie for oneself is a common human trait that everyone suppresses to a lesser or greater degree, depending on how cultured the person is. And if it looks like the politicians we had brought to power were honest at first and then suddenly got rotten, then it is not only their fault — those who took offence and lost faith instead of stopping them are also to blame. It means that the beginnings of civil society turned out to be so weak that it failed to stand its ground. This is one of the lessons of the Maidan.

“After getting over the shock and offence, our society became demoralized and started to look at politicians’ conduct as a show, or circus. Ukrainian politicians became the main clowns [of this show] and entertainers, so to speak. The responsibility for this rests with the mass media. Didn’t we [mass-media people] single-handedly turn politicians into the main heroes of show-business? Didn’t we ourselves invite boors, scandalizing buffoons, and loudmouths from different political forces to our TV programs and editors’ offices for the sake of higher ratings? These people poisoned the consciousness of millions, while we called it all “freedom of speech.” Didn’t journalists themselves, as well as the administrations of TV channels, whitewash the culprits’ record by biased broadcasts? Did journalists stopped shaking hands with informational killers, who followed temnyky [secret government programming instructions-Ed.] and lied from the screens prior to the 2004 presidential elections and today are still hosting TV programs, looking for solutions, and providing their assessment of events?

“On the other hand, haven’t journalists mocked politicians’ immoral behavior, turning their ignorance, unprofessionalism, and scandalous fights in parliament into fun stories and standing jokes? Our society has gradually gotten used to it and has allowed itself to be poisoned, instead of getting rid of the harmful matter, which is contrary to the laws of nature that govern healthy organisms. In this I perceive a grave threat posed by our parliamentary clowns, and I do hope that this will be another post-Maidan lesson for us.

“What makes powers that be treat their country according to the insane principle ‘If I can’t have you, I will let no one have you?’ It is probably the same thing that drove Nikolai Ostrovsky’s character: lack of dignity, ignorance, and awareness of one’s own spiritual misery. I can see about a dozen people in and outside the government who can think in terms of state building. The rest are players for whom national politics is a set of moves and countermoves carried over from previous, often criminal, experience. The most important lesson of the 2004 Maidan is that we can get read even of these people, provided we don’t lapse into unbelief, offences, apathy, and non-participation in elections, because these are the things that keep such politicians in power and help them put more squeeze on our country.

“In 1970, at the height of stagnation, when any free thinking was suppressed and intellectuals were arrested, Yevhen Sverstiuk wrote the words that hich I would like to quote now, four years after the Orange Revolution. He said: “Remember that history has written on our brows the wariness, passivity, inactivity, and laziness of our ancestors. From its cradle each new generation pays for it with its life and dignity. It has to pick the gems of spiritual heritage left by our Quixotes from the silt left by the slaves.”

Viktor PUSHKIN, professor, director of the Institute for Humanitarian Issues:

1. Many people had suffered for the ideas that were voiced on the Maidan. These ideas could have united our society in collective creative work. But they have failed to do so. Are politicians the only ones to blame for this? The greatest ideas only become valuable when they are materialized and supported with concrete actions. Unfortunately, there were no such actions [after the Maidan]. People decided that they did their part: they did their share of noisy rallying and left the rest to politicians. But politicians are politicians-after the Maidan they were the same as before: mercenary, cynical, mendacious, and unprofessional. General de Gaulle once said that a politician must have dignity and intelligence and be guided by the highest interests of the nation. He must not have any other morality. It is a great pity that our politicians espouse morality of a different quality. That is why “we have what we have”.

2. Unfortunately, it did not change. Life has taught me not to create idols for myself and not to believe eloquent speakers. In those days I had a feeling that what was happening on the Maidan was a well-prepared show and that the people on the stage were smart con artists who were exploiting people’s trust and their sincere desire to clear the atmosphere in the country and wipe out politicking and corruption. I would have been happy if my presentiment had been wrong. But it was not.

3. Not to live according to the principle “It’s not my business.” To feel that you are a part of and have a responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine. Not to entrust chatterers with power. To strictly control and react to actions and inaction on the part of political elites. To exercise one’s constitutional rights to the full extent. To adopt best European practices. But after all, there are no ready-made recipes. There are such things as knowledge, experience, desire, and will-this is enough to change our life for the better so that Ukraine could become a self-sufficient country.

4. It is generally assumed that freedom of speech is probably the only — and most important — achievement of our country in the time of its independent development. I can agree with this to some extent. Freedom of speech presupposes the existence of high political culture, tolerance, and responsibility, whereas we often use this freedom in destructive ways, replacing it with verbiage, complete lack of restraint, and sheer insults. We have to value freedom of speech and use it for the [general] benefit. We all have to learn this if we want to live in a truly democratic state.”

Serhiy RYBACHOK, an active participant in the Orange Revolution:

1. For four years now I have been unable to imagine what political ‘talent’ one should have to betray peoples’ trust so much and trample underfoot the achievements of those cold days. This is not even a talent; rather it is more of an art that our powers that be have learned to perfection.

2. I haven’t changed my assessment of the events on the Maidan, not even for once. But I changed, a long time ago, my attitude to the politicians for whose sake it all, in fact, happened.

3. From what I understand, the word “recipes” is a hint at the proverb about cooks and government. Despite my infinite optimism, I have to admit: the recipes are all used up. What is left are only botched dishes that we will have to eat for a long time without any appetite and without giving thought to the expiration date.

4. Freedom of speech is being often confused with permissiveness in the informational space of [our] state. Few are those who can distinguish these notions and understand that informational weapons are not less deadly than guns.

Daria VOROBIOVA, a member of the Ostroh club for Young People’s Free Intellectual Exchange, Kharkiv:

1. Today many people think of the time when everyone was standing on the Maidan for the ideas of a better life. Everyone is comparing what we imagined then with what we have now. True, many of my own hopes didn’t come true, but we have to learn our lessons from situations like this. It became clear to me why my own hopes did not become a reality. We were electing one person. There was a large group of people around him who helped in those hard times, and then the long-awaited moment came and we elected our president. And then the most interesting thing started. It turned out that our president did not have a team. A good team is what he has been lacking all the while. After reaching his goal, our president failed to distinguish between his friends and foes. So we have what we have. I think that the presidential elections have to involve entire [presidential] teams, rather than individuals. Presidential candidates should make nominations for various offices even before the elections. This can solve many problems we are experiencing. The only thing that left for us to do now is to watch how our politicians trample on the ideas that we stood for on the Maidan.

2. My own assessment of what happened on the Maidan has remained almost unchanged — I am fascinated by them now as I was then. I may never have another opportunity in my life when I will be able to feel the national spirit rise as I did back then, standing among thousands of people who had the same views. I am sure that this was a unique event not only in my life, but also in the life of our country.

3. The recipe I can suggest for our country is to decide on the course to be taken: whether we are going to follow the democratic way to European values or build our own way, which may not be so democratic. Second, we need to stick to it. A country that has been robbed for decades cannot be made prosperous within four years. The results of the efforts will come later, but there is no doubt that they will indeed come.

4. To be honest, freedom of speech was one of the main goals I defended on the Maidan. This goal has been reached in my life. Even if this is the only real achievement of the Maidan, I have to be thankful to Viktor Yushchenko for it. Now I can express myself freely, stand on Maidan with protests, watch TV channels that offer different points of view — I have a choice. And this is the most important thing for me.

Vitalii LEBEDIUK, a member of the Ostroh club for Young People’s Free Intellectual Exchange, Lviv:

1. The right of choice is the foundation for any kind of democracy. People who stood on the Maidan clearly defined our country’s further course of development. As a result they gave their leaders the most valuable thing they had — their support, which became the foundation for democracy’s little steps. But the main problem here is that the leaders do not think in the same terms as grass-roots Ukrainians. The main diving line that has separated the leaders and the people is along the interests they pursue. Therefore, there arises a question, Will the phenomenon of the Maidan turn into a nice fairy tales that our subconscious has told us?

2. I now have a clearer understanding that Ukraine has evolved into a feudal system. The principle “the vassal of my vassal is also my own vassal” became a reality.

3. A wise leader and manager has to efficiently guide the most valuable treasure-human resources (i.e., people’s support) — in a clearly defined direction. But the word “efficiently” fell into disuse. If our social structure met foreign standards, the disillusionment would probably be less severe. But the poor are our main class and they are helpless in their aspirations for a better life. Our politicians are aware of this fact, so they increase social expenditures with each passing year, causing the “client syndrome” in people and preventing them from using their brains.

4. I very much like the words of one wise man who said: “The person that considers himself free is not really free.”