FACES AND PLACES: Christmas in Ukraine, 1997 (12/21/97)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Christmas in Ukraine, 1997

There is bad news and good news for the people of Ukraine this Christmas.

The bad news is that if the elections were held tomorrow, Ukraine's Communists and Socialists would sustain their majority, perhaps even gain a few seats. Disillusionment has turned into cynicism as Ukraine's "democrats" have not delivered on their promises. The younger generation will probably ignore the elections, while the older generation will vote for the left in the foolish belief that the Communists will improve living conditions.

According to the annual Index of Economic Freedom, Ukraine ranks 127 out of 156 countries, behind such African states as Swaziland (47), Botswana (49), Benin (69) and Djibouti (83). Russia is No. 104. Estonia and the Czech Republic are at 19 and 20, respectively, on a par with Chile and Austria.

The index, published by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, looks at economic freedom in such specific areas as trade policy, taxation, government intervention in the economy, monetary policy, capital flows and foreign investment, banking wage and price controls, property rights, regulation and the black market. Ukraine's shameful record in these areas is being exploited by the left and the press, which reports regularly on the suicide of senior citizens unable to survive, managers not paying wages while living high on the hog, and the moral malaise that has gripped the nation.

In terms of government corruption, Ukraine stands poised to lose U.S. assistance if the situation doesn't improve. According to U.S. News and World Report, "Electronics giant Motorola, citing ever-changing conditions, dropped a cellular-phone venture in Ukraine after sinking in several million dollars. Marathon Oil and the sugar firm Tate & Lyle have also left Ukraine in frustration." Nevertheless, Ukraine appears to be less corrupt than Russia, India and Mexico. Small consolation.

There are other problems. I met an American engineer with the Environmental Protection Agency who was helping the city fathers of Lviv solve their water problem. He told me thousands of dollars had already been spent but no meaningful progress could be made until local officials were willing to share the city's original water distribution plans. They refused on the grounds that such information was classified.

So what's the good news? Ukraine's democratic parties have apparently joined forces and have promised to work in tandem to defeat the Socialists and Communists in March. Much will depend on Rukh, currently headed by Vyacheslav Chornovil. Rukh has lost some of its original luster, and Mr. Chornovil does not have a reputation for working well with others. If the parties of the center and right can work out their differences and egos don't get in the way, there is an outside chance that the left can be defeated come March.

Another piece of good news is that a new generation of young local leaders is slowly beginning to emerge. They realize that Ukraine's transformation will take time and that a new, morally courageous generation must come to the fore before meaningful change can come about. They are beginning to understand that change in Ukraine will not occur from the top down. It must begin at the grass roots level.

An example are the professors at Ostroh Academy. They believe in Ukraine's future. They visualize a golden destiny for Ukraine, and they're working arduously to prepare Ukraine's future leaders. Ostroh Academy deserves our unequivocal support. During the week, the rector of Ostroh Academy lives with the students in the dormitory. Now that's dedication!

Another example I can point to are Ukraine's younger teachers. Many haven't been paid for months, and yet they continue to teach. I was in Kyiv recently meeting with some 50 educators from all regions of Ukraine. What a joy! They were an impressive group that took pride in speaking Ukrainian and were anxious to forge a new Ukrainian identity. They were in Kyiv for a civic education training seminar, held at Puscha Ozerna, a sanitorium once reserved for Communist bigwigs. Unfortunately, not all of the trainers paid by American tax dollars were up for the task. Typically ethnocentric in their thinking, they truly believe in the one-size-fits-all approach to civic education, i.e. if it works in America, it'll work in Ukraine. The representative from the American Federation of Teachers welcomed everyone in Russian. Another trainer carped about the "rising tide of nationalism" in Ukraine. These are people who pride themselves on being multiculturally sensitive, mind you!

Still another reason to rejoice is that the Ukrainian Theological Society has been rejuvenated. Most encouraging is the fact that while the society is essentially a Ukrainian Catholic institution, other confessions are welcome. Academic scholarship is the determining factor. In a religiously pluralistic society like Ukraine, such openness is welcome.

Ukraine may not be doing well in the area of economic freedom, but in terms of religious freedom, its record is excellent. While the Russian Orthodox Church is attempting to reassert its monopoly on religious matters in Russia, there is no such domination by any Church in Ukraine. All faith expressions have thus far found a home in Ukraine.

The future of Ukraine will not be determined by the current Ukrainian government, which I believe to be beyond redemption. Soviet-style bureaucrats will continue to gouge the public because that's what they've been trained to do. They subscribe to the premise that if they don't cheat, steal and lie to get ahead, someone else will.

The tragedy of Ukraine today is that few people trust the government. Whereas most Americans expect their leaders to be honest and are outraged when they are not, in Ukraine most people have no such expectations. Corruption is "normalno." This perception will begin to change only when President Leonid Kuchma establishes an independent, Elliot Ness-type corruption-fighting unit. Otherwise, he's all talk.

Various U.S. government agencies and independent foundations are pouring millions into Ukraine, and one wonders how much of it is making a significant difference. How much of our tax dollars are ending up in the wrong hands? How much of the U.S. effort is a scatter-gun, uncoordinated approach? How much money is devoted to meaningful institution building?

There's only so much we in the United States can do. The rest depends on the people of Ukraine. It's their destiny that will be determined in March, not ours.

Myron Kuropas' e-mail address is: [email protected]

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