LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (11/28/04)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Diaspora needs strategic approach

Dear Editor:

Russophiles and Russified Ukrainians in the West are likely to be indifferent or somewhat satisfied by the official report that Putin-backed candidate Viktor Yanukovych defied all odds and "won" Sunday's presidential election. Independent exit polls, however, pointed to a comfortable win by patriot Viktor Yushchenko who campaigned, in part, on reawakening Ukrainian national consciousness. Although most Ukrainians in the diaspora wanted a Yushchenko victory, no one seems surprised that Russia has asserted an imperialistic influence on the outcome, giving new meaning to campaign shenanigans.

In the last four years, United States foreign policy has been lacking in Ukraine. There's little doubt that isolating outgoing President Leonid Kuchma merely pushed the ethically challenged bully further into the orbit of Moscow. So far Washington has not made a credible response to the widespread voter fraud that tilted the election in Mr. Yanukovych's favor. Keep in mind that President George W. Bush has just met with his "friend" (his word, not mine) Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Chile. It's not likely that President Bush expressed concern about Russia's involvement in the election of a sovereign nation.

What's next? Ukrainians, especially in the greater Washington area, many of whom work in law, politics and government, need to take a leading role in pressing the State Department and the national security adviser on this issue. Not working with Moscow-friend Yanukovych, should he become president through fraudulent means, only pushes the country further into Moscow's shadow. That's already happened in the last four years with a very harmful impact on liberty, free press and freedom of speech.

Fulfilling a threat to deny officials from Kyiv visas, as the Bush administration has done to promote a fair election, is comical. Imagine if officials in Saddam Hussein's Iraq were denied visas? The Bush administration has yet to outline a coherent, comprehensive policy to further freedom in Europe's second largest country.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice has been nominated to be the next secretary of state. She must be pressed during U.S. Senate confirmation hearings as to why the United States did not actively work with Ukraine to help it become an integrated part of the European family. More important, she needs to be aggressively questioned about Ukraine's future if Mr. Yushchenko is denied his presidential win. More specific to the current situation and before the confirmation hearing even takes place, she must be asked how the United States will intervene, if at all, to see that Mr. Yushchenko be inaugurated president, having garnered a majority of votes. If the U.S. can play such a key role in a free election in Iraq," why not Europe's second largest and potentially wealthiest country?

I fear that Washington will do painfully little to assist Mr. Yushchenko in taking office other than to increase the political rhetoric. Dr. Rice is a student of Russian history and Soviet politics. Hopefully, she does not subscribe to the notion that Ukraine is nothing more than the "Little Russia" of the empire better suited to be under Moscow's fraternal arm.

One thing is clear. There must be a more strategic approach by diaspora Ukrainians in getting the Bush administration to be more responsive to what is left of Ukraine's democracy both in the midst of street protests now occurring and for whatever the future holds. President Putin may be President Bush's friend, but he has never been one to Ukraine or Ukrainian national consciousness.

Bishop Paul Peter Jesep
Gardiner, Maine

The Rt. Rev. Paul Peter Jesep is an auxiliary bishop in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Sobornopravna. He is a lawyer and political scientist by training and once served on the staff of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). The views expressed here are strictly personal.

St. John's Festival deserves support

Dear Editor:

I must start this commentary with: Shame on you, Ukrainian hromada! What was so important on September 25 that it kept you away from attending St. John's Ukrainian Festival and supporting this beautiful event?

My wife, Halyna, and I attended the last three of the four festivals that were held on the St. John's Church grounds in Newark, N.J. The first festival we missed because it was poorly advertised. This one was much better advertised, at least in St. Stephen's Parish in Toms River.

As in the past, we enjoyed this festival very much. However, we were very surprised and disappointed at the rather poor attendance - 500 attendees for such a large parish is a disappointment, to say the least. Where were you, my dear fellow Ukrainians, on this day? The weather was perfect, the program was great, and the varenyky were just scrumptious. I must repeat: Shame on you!

As in the past years, the outdoor concert was very well presented, with few exceptions: the concert should have had at least one, and perhaps two, intermissions. These intermissions would permit the attendees to partake of some of the delicious hot food, coffee and cake, and one must not forget the Ukrainian beer. Time would also be spent meeting new friends and re-kindling old relationships during the intermissions. Instead, most of the people sat through the entire program, packed up and went home.

Because one of the purposes for holding this festival is to raise funds for St. John's Church, I strongly feel that the program's MC should not only announce the events, the "MC" must also act as a salesperson for the festival' s participating vendors, including the 50/50 raffle. Last year the raffle amounted to around $400 in round numbers from an attendance of approximately 600 people. In contrast, last year our choir from St. Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toms River collected around $300 from 100 participants. The answer: the MC must be just like a used car salesperson.

Finally, those hard-working folks who put this beautiful festival together should be given recognition in the festival program book as well as on the stage.

Please do not take my observations as criticism. My intent is to help the organizers make future festivals even more successful. The festival was beautiful. My congratulations go to Father Leonid Malkov, the performers, and to all the people behind the scenes who made this festival a success.

Most importantly, my condolences go to all those UkrainianAmericans in the neighboring communities, who chose to ignore this beautiful event. For only 5 bucks, you missed a great deal. Perhaps next year we will fill the entire St. John's grounds.

For the record, this commentary is my personal observation of the entire event.

Stan Jakubowycz
Linden, N.J.

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