BULLDOZER — THE "LAST RESERVE"?

The President sees these reasons in a "lack of coordination between law enforcement and other agencies involved with the problem." More often than not, he stresses, the law steps in "not to prevent a situation but after this situation has developed, thus being forced to respond to whatever changes occur in this situation." And the judicial system, in the President's opinion, does not meet current needs. Out of 4,345 organized crime cases submitted for court hearings, only 642 have been adjudicated.

A total of 2,600 organized criminal groups are "on record" in Ukraine, of which 115 can be legally qualified as bandits, 95 fit for Interpol wanted lists, and 46 have been operating unimpeded almost throughout the years of Ukrainian independence. Much has been said and written about why the state has to keep them open. No one is surprised at these figures anymore. The surprising thing is that the President has once again pointed an accusing finger at the people heading law enforcement bodies, those whom earlier he lauded as his "hope and mainstay."

Soaring crime constitutes a vicious circle, and the authorities designated to combat it and break this circle cannot do so; any efforts in this direction would be suicidal as they would have to fight among themselves. Invalidating the personal immunity of the deputies of local councils, contrary to Mr. Kuchma's expectations that this will give the law the required carte blanche, would be a mere drop in the ocean, compared to what would happen if the same applied to Verkhovna Rada deputies.

As it was, the President suggested the only effective weapon to combat organized crime was a bulldozer. Start the engine and drive it to uproot all malefactors. Otherwise, the President declared, "the criminals will uproot us." Meaning who exactly?

Drawing by Anatoly Kazansky, The Day