Turning the pages back... July 7, 1996 (07/02/00)

Turning the pages back...

July 7, 1996

Four years ago, The Ukrainian Weekly welcomed what it called "perhaps the most historic moment in the short life of independent Ukraine": the Verkhovna Rada's adoption during the previous week of the Constitution of Ukraine.

The historic vote of Ukraine's Parliament proved that the Ukrainian nation was slowly and steadily emerging as a major player alongside the member-states of the democratic European community.

The Weekly's editorial of July 7, 1996, quoted Justice Minister Serhii Holovatyi, one of the main authors of Ukraine's fundamental law, as saying: "There is no going back for us. We were given a choice, and we chose freedom," he said explaining that the newly adopted document, European in spirit and Ukrainian in character, in his mind, solidifies Ukraine's independence and its development as a democratic state.

The editorial went on to note:

It was Parliament Chairman Oleksander Moroz who summed up the events of the night of June 27-28 most succinctly: "The strength of the Constitution is the fact that it created a precedent of unity in the Supreme Council, which I hope will be a lasting factor in the work of the legislature."

And President Leonid Kuchma, present in the session hall for the Constitution vote, commended the Verkhovna Rada for its work. "I want to say that, regardless of what side anyone took in the past, in this situation you all came down on the side of Ukraine. This last event proved that we, in a critical moment, are worthy of being called the representatives of the Ukrainian people."

As the deputies in the hall saluted the adoption of the Constitution with rounds of applause and a standing ovation, the stress and strain of the non-stop 16-hour session subsided for the moment. As Ukraine's national anthem was played, the faces of many of the deputies were solemn, as they seemed to reflect on the meaning of the event that had just transpired.

It was a moment when most deputies felt proud to be Ukrainian. And, it should be a moment of great pride not only for Ukraine's citizens, who have been legitimized as a nation in the Constitution, but also for all the millions of people around the world whose roots are deeply embedded in the black soil (chornozem) of Ukraine. ...

Source: "Ukraine comes of age," editorial, July 7, 1996, Vol. LXIV, No. 27.

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