EDITORIAL

The pariah president?

Last week we reported on an unusual and significant event on Capitol Hill: the showing in the Dirksen Senate Auditorium of a BBC documentary titled "Killing the Story," which deals with the murder of muckraking journalist Heorhii Gongadze back in autumn 2000 in Ukraine. Sponsored by the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus and the National Endowment for Democracy, the screening was attended by members of Congress, their staffers, the news media and others. Why is the case still in the news?

The Gongadze case, you see, has never been solved. What's worse, it has never even been the subject of a serious investigation by the authorities in Ukraine. Readers who have been following the case in this newspaper can probably recite the details of this sordid case. The key elements are the allegations of involvement by the Kuchma administration and/or its sycophants or lackeys, and efforts to impede the investigation, as President Leonid Kuchma and his cronies have been stonewalling in the hopes that this case, like others before it, will just fade away. But this one hasn't.

And the reason goes beyond Gongadze himself, as the ramifications of the case touch on so many other issues: high-level corruption, lack of freedom of the press, the absence of the rule of law. The now infamous Melnychenko tapes have extended the case's reach even further, as the recordings appear to implicate the Kuchma administration in unsavory arms deals. Add to that charges of manipulation of the parliamentary elections and you have a not-so-pretty picture of independent Ukraine's leaders.

The aforementioned issues have created a rift in the relationship between Ukraine and the United States. Rep. Christopher Smith, co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission, recently stated that U.S. official and international institutions "repeatedly have raised this case and urged President Kuchma and the Ukrainian government to undertake a speedy, serious, open and transparent investigation into the Gongadze murder case"; he added that back in December of 2002 he urged the authorities in Ukraine "to resolve this grave matter in a timely and just manner before the case further tarnished their credibility in dealing with fundamental human rights."

The Ukrainian government responded with obfuscation and outright obstruction of justice. Rep. Smith's warning went unheeded.

The result: The United States has quietly distanced itself from President Kuchma, and Ukraine. In the meantime, signals have been sent to Ukraine via various means and messengers. Most recently they surfaced in a presentation in Kyiv by Dr. Michael McFaul of Stanford University's Hoover Institution, who cited a distrust within the Bush administration that has developed as a result of the various controversies that have sullied the Kuchma administration. He explained that in the highest echelons of the U.S. government it is believed that, even if Mr. Kuchma is not a criminal, he is guilty of not being candid. Dr. McFaul pointed out that it is no happenstance there have been no meetings between the presidents of the United States and Ukraine.

So, is there no hope for Ukraine, burdened as it is with less than reputable leaders?

No. There are some positive signs on the horizon. Despite government interference in the recent elections, Ukraine's voters demonstrated a strong independent streak with a pro-democratic, pro-European orientation. Clearly, a substantial portion of the Ukrainian people wants change. Still, so many do not feel empowered.

U.S. Ambassador Carlos Pascual, speaking at the commencement ceremonies of the Lviv Theological Academy (his remarks appear on the right), attempted to instill that sense of empowerment in his young listeners. Gone are the days of "blind acceptance of a totalitarian state," he said. "Today, each of you is blessed to live at a historic moment where your actions will shape the future of your families, your communities and your country. Never before has Ukraine had a better chance of realizing its destiny as a sovereign, independent European state. For decades the concepts of freedom, initiative and incentive were criminal. Now they are the lifeblood to prosperity. How those concepts will be exercised in real life - in Ukraine's political, economic and cultural world - depends on you."

And therein lies Ukraine's hope for the future. Not with a president whom many avoid like a pariah, but with the new generations of future leaders.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 7, 2002, No. 27, Vol. LXX

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