QUESTION OF THE DAY

Semen HLUZMAN , President, Ukrainian Association of Psychiatrists:

This is complex question, and I don’t think it can be answered in simple fashion. In my view, political upheavals cannot benefit any state (Ukraine included), because revolutions or mass meetings and actions of protest are inevitably followed by violence, bloodshed, and devastation. Thus the man in the street has always found it simpler to live in a time described as stagnation, so he would not have to worry about a bomb shelter, but about changing a bulb in the doorway or an escalator out of service at a subway station. Meanwhile, it is sad to realize that most people, particularly in this country, do not even want to think that such an escalator, kept operational, will not always carry them in the direction of full-blooded social development.

As a result the people remain apolitical, and those in power are free to act as they please. This mental state can be changed only by time and everyday efforts by those that cannot and will not live under conditions of stagnation. In fact, I cannot say that there are no positive changes in Ukraine. It’s just that the process is at snail’s pace. To speed it up, I think the government should adopt a different cadre policy in the first place. A great many sober-minded and talented people are barred access to the administration and most key posts are occupied by the same old bureaucrats incapable of and unwilling to introduce any democratic principles.

Turbulent political collisions, wars, and revolutions do not beget builders, and Ukraine needs people willing to build and create as never before.

PS: How would you answer this question? Please send your answers by regular or e-mail (pravo@day.kiev.ua.), marked “To Live.”