Former President Kravchuk: still walking between raindrops (09/01/96)

Former President Kravchuk: still walking between raindrops

by Serhiy Myroniuk

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - Two years after he left office, the first president of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, still has the ability to walk between raindrops and keep dry (as people in Ukraine usually describe it).

When asked why the Communist Party hasn't been banned in Ukraine, Mr. Kravchuk, a deputy of the Supreme Council, told a 700-strong Ukrainian American audience at Soyuzivka on July 27 that this is "justified." He got a big round of applause.

"Rukh and other democratic parties organize a whole series of actions to ban the Communist Party or take it to the court," he said. "And a significant number of people sign those petitions. But the government is not persecuting the Communist Party or trying to take it to the court because today I think such a policy is justified by political prudence."

Mr. Kravchuk referred to the 15 million Ukrainian pensioners who suffer most from the disastrous situation in the economy. Many of them used to work for the old regime and had numerous privileges that disappeared with the demise of the Soviet Union. The Communists could use them and other economically dissatisfied segments of the population to spark social unrest if the government decides to crack down on the Communists, he warned.

Mr. Kravchuk, who used to be the party's ideology chief, said the Communist Party has shrunk from 3.5 million in 1991 to 170,000 today. Only fanatics with burning eyes and a desire for revenge remain in the party, he said. Educated people, or the "elite," had left it long ago.

Here at Soyuzivka, among Carpathian-like scenery and a friendly Ukrainian audience, he proved once again that he is one of the most savvy representatives of the old "elite" as he delivered a speech on the situation in Ukraine after the adoption of the new Constitution in June. Being the first president of Ukraine, he also gave a brief account of his tenure.

Mr. Kravchuk took advantage of the upcoming fifth anniversary of Ukrainian independence and distributed copies of the independence proclamation personally signed and sealed by him, as the chairman of the Supreme Council five years ago. The price: $20 per copy.

Beautifully designed and rendered in old Ukrainian-style letters, the proclamation was not, however, a facsimile of the original. And, it contained one spelling error: instead of "navysla bula," it says "navysla bulo."

Proceeds from sales of the "document" will go to the Fund to Promote the Development of the Arts in Ukraine, which provides aid to gifted Ukrainian students and creative individuals who need support. Mr. Kravchuk is the head of the fund.