Narodnyi Rukh, today splintered, marks 10th anniversary of founding (09/19/99)

Narodnyi Rukh, today splintered, marks 10th anniversary of founding

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Narodnyi Rukh, the pro-democracy and independence movement that transformed itself into one of Ukraine's most potent political parties before splitting into two camps earlier this year, celebrated its 10th anniversary during the week of September 6 in a series of events that only emphasized how far the two sides are from re-union.

Reflecting both the disappointment of Ukrainians and the current bitterness and uncertainty within the two parties' political organizations that now exist due to the February split, observances were generally muted and the rhetoric more inflammatory than congratulatory.

At the only event attended by both wings of the divided party, a commemorative convocation held on September 10 at the Kyiv Polytechnical Institute, Dmytro Pavlychko, a member of the organizing committe of the original Rukh, summed up Rukh's current situation: "We are not the same fire-spewing volcano; today we only spew smoke."

After its birth on September 9, 1989, Narodnyi Rukh Ukrainy, the Popular Movement of Ukraine for Perebudova, quickly became the vanguard for Ukraine's pro-democracy movement and independence, and then a significant political party in the fledgling state. It was an organization that often suffered from internal dissent, but found unity and a single overriding cause in the building of a democratic and independent Ukrainian state.

Internal bickering after the 1998 Verkhovna Rada elections finally reached critical mass at the beginning of this year, when a majority of members in the party's Verkhovna Rada faction decided to oust the party chairman, Vyacheslav Chornovil. Two wings formed after the long time leader was removed in a hastily called congress in February in an internal putsch led by Yurii Kostenko. Since Mr. Chornovil's death in a tragic car accident a month after his ouster, relations between the two groups have grown icy.

The two sides have had a difficult time finding common ground and language. They have thrown barbs and slung mud. Each wing has put forward its own presidential candidate. Although both sides have expressed the need for reconciliation, neither Rukh has shown a willingness to compromise.

Attendance was light at several public events held in celebration of Rukh's 10th birthday, most notably at a public meeting on St. Sophia Square on September 11. Mass meetings, as this one was supposed to be, were once the hallmark of Rukh. Before the split at least a thousand supporters could have been expected to show up at any rally called by the party. On Rukh's 10th birthday fewer than 500 people turned out. It was organized by the Rukh camp led by Hennadii Udovenko, which has been recognized by Ukraine's Ministry of Justice as the only legal heir to the original Rukh.

The political party led by Mr. Kostenko, which has been denied the right to call itself National Rukh by a Supreme Court ruling, although it continues to do so - and is still recognized as such by the Verkhovna Rada - chose the Kyiv Polytechnical Institute for its commemoration because 10 years ago the first All-Ukrainian Congress of Narodnyi Rukh, which established the organization as a political force for restructuring the USSR, was convened there.

The Kostenko organization asked that the original organizing committee from 1989 re-convene and take control of the commemoration to give it an air of impartiality. It was the committee that decided to invite members of both Rukh organizations.

"It was an achievement that we could get both wings of Rukh together," said Ivan Lozovy, vice-chairman of the secretariat of Mr. Kostenko's party.

The organizing committee included many individuals who today do not belong to either Rukh camp. It was led by Volodymyr Yavorivskyi, who until recently led the Democratic Party of Ukraine, and Ivan Drach, Rukh's first leader, who today is a member of Mr. Kostenko's organization. It also included National Deputies Serhii Holovatii and Mykhailo Porovskyi, who are no longer Rukh members.

The commemoration attracted 1,200 people, most of whom, it seemed, were Kostenko supporters. Banners in support of the presidential candidacy of Mr. Kostenko dotted the hall and campaign literature was abundant, although both sides had agreed to keep the elections out of the celebration, according to Mr. Udovenko.

Mr. Udovenko told Interfax-Ukraine that he was disappointed the celebration had been transformed into a political rally and called the actions "unethical." The leader of the government-recognized Rukh also said that his group had received only 50 invitations out of the 1,500 extended.

However, during his address to the crowd Mr. Udovenko was restrained in his criticism and even suggested that Mr. Kostenko's organization draw up a program for a Rukh-led national renaissance that his organization would review. Those remarks were greeted with hearty applause.

Both Mr. Udovenko and Mr. Kostenko, who also addressed the crowd, underscored in their remarks the need for their individual political organizations to take the government reigns of power. Mr. Kostenko said that one of Rukh's main failures over the last 10 years was its cooperation with former Communists who retained power. He cited as another failure the inability of the democratic forces to present an integral Ukrainian political philosophy.

"We must declare today for all of Ukraine to hear that our national idea shall be patriotic power upholding Ukrainian statehood and loyally serving the Ukrainian people," said Mr. Kostenko.

Ukraine's first president, Leonid Kravchuk, who was the head of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR in 1989, also spoke of Rukh's history in the Ukrainian state-building process.

In a comment made to Ukrainian Television after he spoke, Mr. Kravchuk said that Rukh's major failure was that it had not made the transformation from an oppositionist force to a builder of the state.

"Rukh led the democratization process and the independence effort, but it has not made much of a contribution to the building of the state since, because it is always in opposition," said Mr. Kravchuk

After the speeches at the Kyiv Polytechnical Institute, a second public meeting was held at Shevchenko Park before the memorial to Ukraine's great bard in a further re-enactment of the events that took place in 1989.

The atmosphere surrounding Rukh's 10th anniversary, already contaminated by the bad blood between the two factions was further poisoned by remarks made by the head of the Rukh Party's press service, Dmytro Ponomarchuk, on September 6, when he told the newspaper Kievskie Viedomosti that members of Mr. Kostenko's political organization would not be welcome at their celebrations.

"If the [putschist] Kostenkovites show up, we will throw them out," said Mr. Ponomarchuk, a remark that he acknowledged to The Weekly that he did make.

The only legally recognized Rukh Party in Ukraine went it alone in a series of events held between September 6 and September 11. These included a September 6 public presentation of the political platform of the its presidential candidate, Mr. Udovenko; the laying of wreaths at the grave of Mr. Chornovil; participation in a conference of European Christian Democratic parties held in Kyiv; a large reception on December 8 at the Cabinet of Ministers Reception Hall, which was attended by the diplomatic community of Kyiv, national deputies of the Verkhovna Rada (including members of the Reform and Order Party, with whom the Rukh Party has formed a political coalition) and Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate; and a ceremonial meeting at the Kyiv Teacher's Building, all of which culminated in the lightly attended public meeting on St. Sophia Square.

Ironically, both Rukh camps said after the celebratory week that they continue to seek reunification, and leaders from both sides explained that in some way the events surrounding the 10th anniversary had contributed to the process. Neither side could explain what had improved relations or how that had happened. Yet it was obvious that their thoughts centered on strengthening their own party membership and pulling the other side toward themselves.

Mr. Udovenko told The Weekly that his party had made an honest effort to move closer and that he had taken the initiative by attending the meeting at the Kyiv Polytechnical Institute. He said that membership had increased during the course of the week, but that he expected reunification would take time.

"The process of reunification is not a single event," explained Mr. Udovenko. "It will take time and several efforts."

National Deputy Ivan Zayets, the vocal and outspoken member of the Kostenko organization who is generally considered to be the No. 2 man behind Mr. Kostenko, also said he felt that inroads had been made as a result of the anniversary.

He explained that, at a meeting he attended in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine, people who formerly had supported Mr. Udovenko for president had expressed their desire that he withdraw his candidacy in favor of Mr. Kostenko. He said the crowd also had supported reunion under the Kostenko-led Rukh.

"And so, there is movement at the grassroots level," said Mr. Zayets.

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