LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (09/03/06)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Kudos on Zawada's excellent analysis

Dear Editors:

Zenon Zawada's op-ed ("A humiliating presidential position," August 13) does great credit to The Ukrainian Weekly. Mr. Zawada has not only shown that he can write excellent reports from Ukraine, but he can also write analytical opinion articles as well.

Mr. Zawada's opinion article reflects the deep sense of disillusionment that has come over Orange voters in Ukraine. This first appeared in September 2005, when the Yulia Tymoshenko government was removed and President Viktor Yushchenko signed a memorandum with Viktor Yanukovych.

The latest round of disillusionment follows the drawn-out negotiations by President Yushchenko and Our Ukraine with their Orange partners and separately with the Party of the Regions. Both coalitions failed, leading to the entrance of Communists into government for the first time in independent Ukraine and the return of Mr. Yanukovych as Prime Minister.

This great sense of disillusionment inside Ukraine can be felt by living there and talking to Ukrainians, as Mr. Zawada does, and by reading the Ukrainian media and opinion polls. The Weekly readers should read as examples pieces by Volodymyr Filenko, one of the organizers of the Orange Revolution who coordinated Mr. Yushchenko's election campaign with the youth group Pora, in Zerkalo Tyzhnia (August 5-19) and Volodymyr Kulyk, a recent visiting scholar to Columbia University, in Ukrayinska Pravda (August 21).

Mr. Zawada's reflective opinion article is fully in line with these views found inside Ukraine among those who supported the Orange Revolution.

Mr. Zawada is also on the mark in asking us to unpack the myths we all believed about Mr. Yushchenko. Mr. Yushchenko has been unable to become a revolutionary president and Mr. Zawada is therefore right to dismiss the comparison between Abraham Lincoln and Mr. Yushchenko.

As the Razumkov Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Studies, which provided many of the analysts for the 2004 Yushchenko campaign, points out, President Yushchenko did nothing to resolve Ukraine's regional divide between coming to power in January 2005 and the March 2006 elections. "In addition, Viktor Andriyovych did not wish to recognize the problem, described it as thought up, and spoke in the name of the nation himself," wrote Zerkalo Tyzhnia in its issue dated August 19-25.

President Yushchenko only sought the mantle of 'unifier' when, as Mr. Zawada wrote, his back was against the wall and he had the unpalatable choice of either proposing Mr. Yanukovych as prime minister or calling new elections.

President Yushchenko has been unable to institute a break with the Kuchma era and introduce a new system of governance in Ukraine. The Razumkov Center wrote the following in Zerkalo Tyzhnia (August 19-25): "We saw a Ukraine without Kuchma, and it resembled exactly the same as Ukraine with him (Kuchma)." The 'bandits' are not only not in prison, but they dominate Parliament and control the government.

As I stated at an August 9 seminar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, President Yushchenko increasingly resembles former President Leonid Kravchuk. Messrs. Kravchuk and Yushchenko will be remembered for having brought about independence (Kravchuk) and the Orange Revolution (Yushchenko). But, Mr. Kravchuk failed to be re-elected in 1994 and, I predict, Mr. Yushchenko will not be in 2009 because they proved to be weak, indecisive and non-listening presidents. Kravchuk brought back a Communist as prime minister in 1994 (Vitaliy Masol) and the Communists are now in government again.

In the 2009 elections, Orange voters will not remember the Orange Revolution but the fact that President Yushchenko permitted Mr. Yanukovych (the "bandits" in Yushchenko's 2004 election rhetoric) to return to government.

That Mr. Zawada's opinion article will not be to the liking of a small group of diaspora Ukrainians can be seen in the divisions within the Chicago Ukrainian American community, for example, but diversity of opinion is the normal course of affairs in a democracy. The Ukrainian Weekly should be commended for being one of only a few diaspora newspapers to permit different viewpoints to appear.

Hopefully, Mr. Zawada's article hopefully will encourage Ukrainians in North America to unpack the many myths surrounding Viktor Yushchenko and to see him as he is, a product of the system who was unable to utilize the possibilities offered to him to become a Lincoln. He had the chance but blew it.

Taras Kuzio, Ph.D.
Washington

The letter writer is adjunct professor at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.

Ukraine's enemies helped by Zawada

Dear Editor:

Re: "Humiliating presidential position" (column, August 13), generally, Zenon Zawada's vitriolic denigration of President Viktor Yushchenko, democracy and the Orange Revolution could be ignored, except for the fact that it is strikingly similar to what the anti-Ukrainian elements in Ukraine and in Russia have been doing.

Ever since the unsuccessful attempt to poison Mr. Yushchenko, and after his presidential victory, these elements unleashed an extremely aggressive and unabated campaign aimed at discrediting President Yushchenko and the democratic ideals of the Orange Revolution, and to erase from memory by every means possible the events of 2004.

They, I am sure, are pleased with the help provided by Mr. Zawada.

Ivan Danylenko
Somerdale, N.J.

Zawada's column well-researched

Dear Editor:

The Ukrainian Weekly is a real joy to read. The issue of August 13, was especially poignant. Zenon Zawada's article "A humiliating presidential position" literally brought tears to my eyes. His meticulously researched characterization of Ukrainian politicians deserves, at the very least, a Pulitzer Prize (if only such prizes were awarded in the Ukrainian community).

Yushchenko? A long-winded, weak, spineless, disassociated and detached politician and ... an active Communist Party leader to boot!!! Tarasyuk? A top Communist official! How about the Tymoshenko Bloc? Please! A bunch of hypocrites! Aside from a handful of patriots and nationalists who are trotted off before television cameras this bloc is beholden to the old Kuchma/Medvedchuk clique: Zhevago, Abdulis, Feldman and countless others of their ilk. Note: Even Boris Danik's frequent letters to the editor, where he rarely "spared the rod to spoil the child" when it came to Ukrainian politicians, especially Viktor Yushchenko, has forgiven Yulia's Lazarenko past (Bless his Christian heart!) and her bungling as a prime minister.

Now, dear reader, you may ask: where does Mr. Zawada get all this juicy information? Why, from Ivan Lozowy. Mr. Lozowy is not your typical Ukrainian- educated hack - no siree! He is a New York University Law School graduate. So there!

In Mr. Zawada's opinion, the only Ukrainian politician of any value is prophet Yurii Kostenko; who long ago foresaw all this mess in excruciating detail. In short: You've got to love this guy!

Bohdan Hasiuk
West Chester, Pa.

Zawada shouldn't offer his opinions

Dear Editor:

Very turbulent events are taking place in Ukraine. We are rightfully very concerned about this and eager to get as much information as possible. The Ukrainian Weekly, in this respect, is doing a tremendous job.

The latest articles by Zenon Zawada provide an enormous amount of information, but fortifying these with his personal opinions and using unnecessarily strong language (e.g., "betrayal") diminishes the value of the articles and casts doubt about the objectivity of his information. If his opinions are also the opinion of the editors, they should be printed in editorials (not too strongly worded). His articles should be informative only.

Andrij Paschuk
New York

Editor's note: Zenon Zawada of our Kyiv Press Bureau expresses his personal opinions and offers his valuable insights in his occasional column titled "Reporter's Notebook." Editorials express the opinion of the newspaper. News stories report facts without offering the reporter's opinion, although they do record the opinions of others.

The Weekly means a lot to seniors

Dear Editor:

I just want you all to know how much getting this newspaper means to my father at the Ivan Franko Home in Toronto. All the residents read it, and it brings them the news that means so much to them.

Daria Demyan
Getzville, N.Y.

It's festival time at St. John's

Dear Editor:

Yes, it is festival time. St. John's Festival Committee is already at work to present its sixth annual Ukrainian Festival, which will be held September 30. Please remember to reserve the last Saturday of each September for this beautiful event.

Last year's festival, which thanks to our Ukrainian "hromada" (community) was a huge success. Last year, the committee, with Father Leonid Malkov's support, provided extra parking with security, and even a free shuttle to the church grounds. Where else does one get all of that and a great stage program with a "zabava" (dance) for only five bucks? Only at St. John's.

It was indeed a most beautiful event, with a great family feeling. A few of my friends came from the Toms River, N.J., area and thanked me for encouraging them to attend. They will be regulars from now on.

The food was great! The pyrohy, or as some call them, varenyky, as well as kapusta and kovbasa were delicious. I and my family had a feast. My wife, Halyna, commented that I pigged out. It was for a good cause. And I will do it again, and again, and again.

What I liked the best is the camaraderie of the committee during the last moments of the preparation of the grounds. A great team of people! There was no shouting, no screaming; there was laughter. They created a great opening atmosphere for the event. Some of the committee members worked from 9 a.m. until the end of the zabava. It was a long day, a tiring day, a hectic day, but it was a very enjoyable day.

This beautiful festival had something for everyone. Sadly, there was something missing. Many of our organizations did not participate and, thus, they missed out on a great opportunity to present themselves to our community. They, along with our churches, play a vital role in our Ukrainian communities. Having the privilege of being, for the first time, a part of this committee, I want to continually emphasize to the festival participants that we, the Ukrainian hromada, should and must support our churches, our organizations, and our Ukrainian-owned businesses. Perhaps, this year they will be represented at our festival.

If you would like to be part of this beautiful event, please contact Father Leonid Malkov at St. John's Church. Halyna and I are on our way to Poland and Ukraine. God willing, we'll be back in time to join all of you at the festival.

Stan Jakubowycz
Brick, N.J.

We welcome your opinion

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and commentaries on a variety of topics of concern to the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly editorial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association.

Letters should be typed and signed (anonymous letters are not published). Letters are accepted also via e-mail at s[email protected]. The daytime phone number and address of the letter-writer must be given for verification purposes. Please note that a daytime phone number is essential in order for editors to contact letter-writers regarding clarifications or questions.

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