EMPTY TREASURY AND THE "TRIPOLI CHARDS".
What did the Ukraine inherit from the nationalists’ power?
During last five years the Ukraine seemingly lived due to Clauzewitz
principle "economy is what’s left from promoting the ideology by any
means". There’s plenty of evidence to that — ranks of the
Holodomor monuments stretching to the horizon, package renaming
of the streets and conclusion of the interstate contracts due
to the "anyone but Muskovites" principle. Before the elections, there was
a confidential agreement: not a word regarding the real financial
situation in the country.
During last five years the Ukraine seemingly lived due to Clauzewitz
principle "economy is what’s left from promoting the ideology by any
means". There’s plenty of evidence to that — ranks of the
Holodomor monuments stretching to the horizon, package renaming
of the streets and conclusion of the interstate contracts due
to the "anyone but Muskovites" principle. Before the elections, there was
a confidential agreement: not a word regarding the real financial
situation in the country.
Macroeconomic zero
The election passed, Viktor Yanukovych had officially won and for the very
first time the results of democratic reforms were voiced out loud. You may
think whatever you like about the Party of Regions representatives but
unlike their orange opponents, they, at least, always thought that policy
should ground at the economic indices.
Nicolay
Yanovich Azarov, who was respected for his irreproachable logic even
by his political opponents, has finally announced the total residue.
At the present moment there’s about one billion grivnas (approximately
$125 million) and $35 million at the state accounts of the
Ukrainian treasury. At that, the Ukraine is to pay about billion
dollars just for the February gas supplies. Besides that, Azarov added that the
state has to submit $2.5 billion grivnas for the budgetary payments.
In order to fully explain today’s situation Nicolay Yanovich
mentioned that for the normal functioning of the Treasury system
at least ten billion grivnas at the Treasury accounts are
required — while the funds that are at the department’s disposal
today "mean zero in the macroeconomic national sense".
In other words, the Ukrainian economy is at the apparent death
condition right now. What can we say if the troubles reached even the
public transportation system...
On Tuesday trolleybus and bus drivers would probably
be unable to go to their routes. "Kievpastrans"
officials are to answer when they’re going to pay the employees’
salary debts — the term for the decision-making expires on Monday.
Their debt makes up more than 110 million grivnas (approximately
$14 million).
Actually Azarov’s address at the press-conference wasn’t rich in the
diplomatic metaphors — he expressed his thoughts
in an utmost clear form. Representatives of the orange camp
decided to break the post-election silence — they’ve made the stock
attempt to scare the Ukrainian population with the news that Yanukovych
allegedly has to proclaim the pre-term parliamentary elections.
"Country
is at the verge of disaster, these paranoiacs can’t
understand it and they don’t have even the elementary responsibility
if they’re still talking of some pre-term elections of any
kind" — he said while commenting the statement of Andrii
Kozhemyakin (First Deputy of Yulia Timoschenko Rada Bloc Chairman) —
the latter told about the possible intention of Party of Regions
to initiate the pre-term parliamentary elections. Azarov also ruled out
the possibility of creation of so-called technical coalition
in the parliament. "Would you, please, tell me if any serious
lender would make any business with the technical Prime Minister or the
technical coalition?" — emphasized deputy.
What’s ahead?
Even with the best will in the world you’d be unable to find
fault with Azarov’s words. There’s not enough money even for the very
parliamentary elections. That’s why the winning side was phenomenally active
since the very first day when the last name of the future Ukrainian
President became well-known. You can judge their deeds by yourself.
For the week that was gone since the President’s election, the following
subjects were proclaimed:
• Possibility to deploy the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea after the
2017;
• Entering NATO would
be possible only after holding the referendum;
• The Ukraine is to take
part in the European security system proposed by Dmitry
Medvedev;
• Readiness of the law acts
concerning choice of language in schools and institutes of high
education;
• Friendship with Russia at all
directions.
That seems to be some kind of a holiday.
However we should cut the enthusiasm a little. The matter is the
pure pragmatism rather than the "pro-Russian moods" of the President-elect
Yanukovych. At the moment when Mr. Yanukovych knew about his victory,
he (and the large business, personified by him) has instantly voiced
the idea of the international consortium creation — Russia and
the EU are to obtain 33.3 percents of the Ukrainian gas
facilities at that. This is a rather logical step — first
party of the "Northern Stream" supplies is to be launched
quite soon and the deteriorated gas-transport system of the Ukraine has
all the chances to become the greatest monument of the "Soviet
occupation" in the nearest future — to Yuschenko’s joy. The
reason is that no one would need it anymore — the gas would
be transported to Europe using the paths deprived of the
five-year-long elections without a single break. It would
be difficult to estimate the results of the very consortium idea
but we can easily mark the reasonable apprehends of the winners,
concerned by their own future. The only Ukrainian assets that were not
expended are the gas-transport system and the land itself. During his
interview, Boris Kolesnikov (one of the Party of Regions leaders) has
defined his future plans straightforward: the land is going
to be rented for the long terms and in future it can
be sold completely.
As long as Yuschenko and Timoschenko parties have long ago proclaimed
the math and economics to be the pseudo-science, they don’t care
about some dull budgets. They see the upcoming in danger in quite the
other thing. Let me remind you that Yuschenko’s party has expressed its
discontent with the fact that Viktor Yanukovych was speaking Russian during his first
public address after the proclamation of the exit-polls’ results. Vladimir
Vyazivsky — Verkhovna Rada deputy and representative of the "Our
Ukraine" political council presidium — was unable to stand such
obscenity.
"Yanukovych should be ashamed. The whole country is embarrassed
because of him, both Western and Eastern Ukrainians are", — stated
the parliamentarian. Vyazivsky added that he considers the Presidential
candidate’s unwillingness to speak the state language to be the
"first swallow" of the forthcoming storm. He denoted:
"It is a frightful thought how such person can behave himself
in future, regarding the Ukrainian language, the very Ukrainian culture
and history".
Well, if Mr. Vyazivsky meant certain Museums of the Soviet
occupation, Institutes of the national memory and warehouses full
of the Tripoli chards with the memorials glorifying all sorts
of "banderas" — then yes, there’s an opinion that its funding
would be cut down dramatically, as long as there’s simply
no money to maintain the trifles and spillikins that are
so cheerful for the national-patriotic hearts. However, the very question
how do all these institutions and monuments correspond
to culture — is a matter of quite different plane.
Citizens of Bandera’s motherland are looking for the
"traitors" again
"Today" newspaper has conducted a poll at the motherland
of Stepan Bandera — place called Stary Ugrinov at the
Ivano-Frankivsk region. The poll is unbelievably vivid — its citizens
are preparing for the worst. Villagers are afraid that they would
be deprived of their land, driven into the collective farms,
prohibited to go into the Greek Catholic Church and made
to speak the "Muscovitian". Bandera’s fellow-villagers have already dubbed
the new authorities "the third Muscovites". "The first ones came in 1939,
the second — right after the war. They’ve driven everyone into the
collective farms and the rebels were sent to Siberia. So now they are
gonna come back" — anger "Banderovites". Their main fear is that not
"their" President would not allow to privatize the land and seize their
hectares from them. Ugrinov citizens are trying to figure out who
of their fellow-villagers voted for Yanukovych. About fifty of the
seven hundred villagers have done so (they’ve already been dubbed Judas’).
"Peasants have the guesses who could have sinned. Those who beard a grudge
against their fellows start the rumors that, certain Mihailo had allegedly
given his vote for the "wrong" candidate. Some of them are
in disgrace now, nobody’s greeting them" — said Taras Fedori, head
of the Stary Ugrinov.
Villagers are shocked by the fact that even some hardcore "Banderovites"
have supported the "Muskovite" candidate. "They’ve watched TV too much and
bought the Yanukovych’s promises to raise the pensions. Yuschenko also
stirred everything up standing up against Yulia" — Maria
Fedoriv, whose father was Bandera’s friend, is filled with indignation.
"Let’s have a look how Yanukovych would solve all the state problems and
fulfill his promises — says villager Yuri Svirko. — Anyway, Bandera
will forever be our President!"
We can only sympathize to the citizens of such ideologically
solid towns and villages. While in 2004 progressive Western world accused
Yanukovych — who had the advantage of 3.5% —
of falsification, in 2010, whole world — from Great Britain
to Tunis — is congratulating him. Even an outstanding Nobel
prize-winner and democratic leader Barack Obama has no doubts of the
fairness of the Ukrainian elections. In complete accordance with the
forecasts there was no "Maidan-2". During her long-expected address
to the nation, Yulia Timoschenko confined herself with the stock
statements regarding the courts and the inevitable victory
of democracy — under democracy she means herself, of course.
Well, there’s nothing else she can do. After reviewing the list
of people, congratulating Viktor Yanukovych with the victory, Yulia
Vladimirovna had to admit the obvious fact — she will not
be able to gather Maidan and won’t let new civil confrontations
to happen. We’d like the Ukrainian authorities to "think" using the
economics, supported by the common sense, rather than the heart backed
up by the national mythology.
By Andrey Polevoy
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