Wednesday, September 5, 2012


З ДНЕМ НЕЗАЛЕЖНОСТІ!  Happy Independence Day!

How do you celebrate 21 years of independence?  Throw a protest!  At least, that is how opposition movements in Ukraine observed the national holiday on August 24th of this year.  Members of Ukrainian opposition movements dressed in vishivanki, the hand-stiched linen national shirt, and carried flags and banners throughout Michalevsky square in the city center.  The ruling party, the Party of Regions, also funded a rally marked with alleged incidents of bribing particpants to take part in the activities.  Ralliers here described the success of the current regime and the progress of Ukrainian indepenence.  Thus, Ukraine honored their history of independence as two distinct factions, divided in their appreciation of the past and the prospects of the future. 

Another incident that marked the variance between both sides was the commemoration speech by President Yanukovich.  In this speech, he condemns the opposition for exploiting the country and creating challenges to Ukrainian progress.  Corrupt bureaucracy is blamed for destroying the government while Yanukovich confidently endorses his government as capable of ending corruption.  He acknowledges the progress achieved under his authority by removing obstacles for business, increasing income, and infrastructurual improvements.  The goal to attract foreign investment and involvement is emphasized.  He then provides a long list of accomplishments underway or of promises of new goals for Ukraine which would enable a mature economy resembling advanced countries of Europe.

The President made it clear in his speech that Ukraine was an “integral part” of the European sphere.  He said:
“We are confidently moving along the path of building a modern European state. ... We are looking for a way to the community of developed nations.
But we will never accept the integration at any cost - through loss of independence, economic or territorial concessions, and intervention in the internal affairs.”
(It was interesting to see how different sources translated this passage into English.  I felt this was the most clear.)

Opposition forces were quite shocked at the bold almost threatening denunciation of intervention or meddling by outside countries and immediately attributed this remark to the highly controversial case involving jailed ex-prime minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.  Many European countries have denounced the political influence apparent in this case.  Yanukovich portrays the outside commentary and political actions as trying to influence Ukrainian independence.

Other articles published during this holiday were written in a critical manner exposing the regression of Ukrainian economy and the decline of the middle class.  Using this national holiday as a time to analyze progress, many reports contemplated the dissatisfaction of most Ukrainians.  Yet there was never an answer as to what they were seeking or changes they wanted. 

The polarization in Ukraine has continued to increase and has created a stagnation of real progress.  With each side challenging every gain made by the opposition, opportunities for neccesary growth are impossible.  While each party blames the other for impeding development, they hinder their own ability to move forward and enable a continous positive change.  Significantly the most important national holiday, the day of independence for Ukrainian is a time to celebrate their cultural identity.  Reflecting on Ukrainian independence turned out to be a day of disappointment by the media.

Articles referred to in this post:
“День незалежності: по обидва боки святкувань” (Independence Day: on both sides of the celebration)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/multimedia/2012/08/120824_independence_day_two_meetings_video_as.shtml

“Україна святкує День Незалежності” (Ukraine celebrates Independence Day)

 “Виступ Президента під час урочистостей з нагоди Дня Незалежності в Палаці «Україна»” (President’s speech during celebrations of Independence Day at the Palace “Ukraine”)
“Ukraine's Yanukovich hits back at EU over Tymoshenko”


“Yanukovych Warns Against Meddling”

“21 рік незалежності: витрати на харчі - понад 50% доходів середньої родини”

2 comments:

  1. Good post. Would you say that a majority of Ukrainians would be willing to give up a bit of their sovereignty and draw closer to Russia in exchange for a higher standard of living? Where do most Ukrainian young people place their hopes, looking to Russia or Europe? Did you see the comments by V. Yushchenko in the Wall Street Journal last month? Would the majority of Ukrainians agree with him? Why or why not?

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444443504577602920530177862.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

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  2. Those are excellent questions! I think that is the ideology of the current party. But, I'm going to have to do more research! Maybe that is the real issue: rights versus quality of life. Thanks for sharing that article! Yushchenko makes it clear that Ukrainian priorities of democracy have declined in importance during the last two years. It was interesting for him to ask the EU to disregard the politics and promote a working relationship with Ukraine. And wow! He almost gives them the blame for strengthening Ukrainian and Russian relations. Thanks for the ideas!

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