LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (09/17/06)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A reaction to letters on Zawada column

Dear Editor:

Some observations with reference to your correspondent's column on "Humiliating presidential position" (August 13) and the vigorous support of his position in the letters (August 3) from A. Kozhushchenko who sees in the coalition agreement "a complete betrayal" by the "Ukrainian Judas," and from Borys Danik who calls President Viktor Yushchenko a "political simpleton," with these positions strongly endorsed by Dr. Taras Kuzio, political analyst whose articles frequently appear in the The Weekly.

Coalition governments are no rarity in democratic countries, with the current German government being a good illustrative example. Following the election results in 2005, Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats were forced into power-sharing with their bitter adversaries, the Socialists, and, as a consequence, Ms. Merkel's ambitious plans for economic reforms had to be given up. Yet, it would not occur to anyone in Germany to call her a "traitor," despite the fact that the German economy is still stagnant. On the other hand, Mr. Yushchenko's coalition agreement upholds the general foreign and economic policies of the previous government.

All mature societies with well-established democratic traditions have learned to respect the results of free and fair elections, no matter which party wins, or whatever the personal past histories of the representatives elected. Loud protests and vilifications by dissatisfied segments of the electorate and demonstrative boycotts of the normal parliamentary procedures by politicians of the opposition show that in Ukraine the true meaning of democracy ("the worst possible system, except for the alternatives") is not yet generally understood.

Yet, the very fact that the voice of the majority has prevailed must be viewed as a victory, and not a defeat of the maidan. There are indications that, with mutual respect and understanding of the coalition partners, and with constructive input by the opposition, Ukraine will move ahead to the benefit of all its citizens.

One of the problems of our American diaspora (mainly of western Ukrainian origin) is insufficient understanding of the realities in today's Ukraine - a large, multi-lingual, multi-religious country, with disparate regional histories, traditions and interests. Visitors to Kyiv are disappointed by the prevalent use of Russian language by the inhabitants of our capital, yet forget that these are the very people who, by the hundreds of thousands, demonstrated their patriotism in December of 2004.

Contrary to the negative opinions, President Yushchenko's actions were in conformance with the Constitution currently in force in Ukraine, which he has sworn to uphold. His decision to recognize the will of the elected political majority, rather than calling a new election (with dubious expectations), was an act of prudence and mature statesmanship.

The alternative would have dire consequences of political instability and economic collapse. Instead, the irreversibility of the democratic progress was confirmed and the country's unity was assured, with the outlook for healing of inter-regional animosities a likely possibility in the future.

The Weekly should be commended for printing the diverse readers' opinions in the letters column, yet some editorial admonition to avoid offensive and insulting language would not be amiss. A dispassionate and objective approach to current problems ought to be expected especially from the The Weekly's correspondents and contributing political pundits. An editorial discussion of the basic democratic principles of government, with reference to current events in Ukraine, would also be desirable.

Roman Wolchuk
Jersey City, N.J.

Thanks for RFE/RL Kuchma interview

Dear Editor:

I found the RFE/RL interview with former President Leonid Kuchma to be most interesting (August 27). I was particularly struck by his citing of "The Ruina" during the Kozak period as an example of what a struggle for power can lead to.

I hope you can carry more such interviews. I would like to see Zenon Zawada do an interview with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksander Moroz, Deputy Rynat Akhmetov, former President Leonid Kravchuk, Deputy Yulia Tymoshenko and others.

I would like to know directly from these individual where they stand on various issues that affect Ukraine: 1) welfare of Ukrainian villages; 2) welfare of mine workers; 3) welfare of workers in general; 4) clean-up and protection of the environment; and 5) political and economic independence of Ukraine.

Nadia M. Derkach
San Francisco

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 [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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