aaus-list @ ukrainianstudies.org -- Re: [aaus-list] Taras Kuzio replies to Ms Bilozir

["stephen velychenko" <velychen@chass.utoronto.ca>]

It is Ukraine's historical problem -- the national and social issues
have not been resolved despite independence. The window of opportunity
came in 2004. It is now shut and will not likely open again in our
lifetimes. Iushchenko is more of a MALOROS than anyone could have
possibly imagined. He is avoiding socio-economic change (the Social
Question) by playing the historical-cultural card (the National
Question).

The neo-soviet russophile corporate owners allied in their anti-Orange
front with forieign corporate partners, are unfortunately smart enough
to know that since the whole country is still de facto Russian,
letting the khokhly sing folk-songs, publish the odd Ukrainian book,
make an occassional Ukrainian film, fill out forms in Ukrainian, and
run a few Ukrainian TV channels, will not challenge their political
power or their profits. Ukraina vysche hopaka ne skoknyt.

The national-democratic elite is weak not only  because they do not
control capital or the means of production. Who can buy-out the owners
of Ukraine's media? And until they are bought-out the public-sphere
will remain Russian. National-democratic leaders are also more
obsessed with themselves than defeating the anti- Orange front.
Ukraine, for example  is an ecologocal nightmare and does need a Green
Party, just like it should have a conservative-nationalist party. But
prudence should have dictated not forming such parties, which only
split the national-democratic vote, until the neo-colonial plutocracy
was crushed politically and economically. This was not done. Teper
"maiemo to shcho maiemo."

On 7/11/08, Roman Serbyn <serbyn.roman@videotron.ca> wrote:
> Taras is right. One of Yushchenko's faults is not being able to choose the
> right people to whom he can delegate his immense (although dwindling)
> powers. He cannot act effectively himself and he is incapable or doesn't
> want to pick the right people to do it for him. The choice of the Bi-Ba team
> is a case in point.
>
> On the other hand Yushchenko should be given credit for his promotion of the
> Holodomor, his efforts to try to reconcile UPA and Red Army veterans (his
> neglect of the Divisia is probably due to bad counsel from the nationalist
> camp) and other issues of Ukrainian history. I think that he would probably
> make a good Minister of Cultural Affairs (if an intelligent and effective
> President could be found to give him the proper support).
>
> But in my opinion, the problem in Ukraine is systemic. Ukraine is a typical
> post-colonial plutocracy with highly corrupted economic and poltical elites.
> These people, in my opinion, do not want to integrate Ukraine into the
> European Community, where they would have to follow European rules and
> regulations on running their country. These people have all the advantages
> that their wealth gives them to enjoy the privileges of Europe, but at the
> same time all the advantages of a post-colonial plutocracy to rule the
> country without any responsibilty to the electorate. After all, the masses
> don"t elect "representatives" to represent them, they elect parties over
> which they have little or no control. Any meaningful political reform would
> have to scrap the system of elections by party lists. It is this system
> which keeps the corrupted political elites in power and does not allow
> Ukrainie to develop a healty democratic society. It is no coincidence that
> non of the leaders of the "democratic" partities want to abolish electoral
> lists, a system whereby they and not the citizens choose the candidates; a
> system which allows party bosses negociate with corrupted millioners their
> place on the electoral list (million for "parliamentary impunity"). What
> constituency would have voted for Bilozir as their representative in
> Parliament???
>
> I would like to hear what Taras has to say on the question of proprotional
> representation. Is this question debated in Ukraine. It seems to me that the
> abolition of "parliamentary immunity" (in Ukrainian law it should read
> "impunity") is not enough to remove the great number of unworthy "deputies"
> from VR, and make the rest accountable to the electorate.
>
> Roman Serbyn
>
> Le 10/07/08 22:45, « Natalia Pylypiuk » <natalia.pylypiuk@ualberta.ca> a
> écrit :
>
> > (and to Mr Baloha):
> >
> > http://pda.pravda.com.ua/blogs/kuzyo-48762a97b0301/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > N. Pylypiuk
> > Modern Languages & Cultural Studies  [www.mlcs.ca]
> > University of Alberta
> >
> >
> >
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>
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-- 
Stephen Velychenko
CERES Associate;
Research Fellow,Chair of Ukrainian Studies;
Munk Center
University of Toronto
Devonshire Place
Toronto M5S 3K7