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Thursday, April 12, 2007




Maidan 2.1 Still on Standby, Counter-Maidan Still Sucks

Wednesday turned out to be quieter than most Kyivites had imagined. The Orange Maidan, now situated at European Square, continues hibernating, without much mobilization since the March 31 reunion. Tymo, AWOL, seems to be preoccupied with the elections.


The Blue Maidan, sighted at daytime Independence Square, continues hallucinating, without quite reaching the heights it claimed it will. 'Smart camera' flyovers used in live broadcasts on state television controlled by Yanukovych make it look bigger than it really is. Stripped of this fake bakery, the Counter-Maidan has a more modest, part-time look.

Attendance patterns and population density vary substantially. The pictures if you keep an eye on them throughout the day speak for themselves:

http://1plus1.tv/video/camera.php

In retrospect, one could argue jokingly that while in 2004/05 we Maidaners expected T-84s to run over our dead bodies, in 2007 we could run those T-84s without hurting a fly.

Of course, it’s a bad joke. The tanks are the hallmark of Moroz’s apocalyptic imagery, which he maladaptively spoonfeeds to the public on an almost hourly basis.

In fact, as of today, a clear vision is nowhere to be found. Confusion surrounds the Constitutional Court and the Central Election Commission. A cadre of five Justices, all of them presidential appointees, has reportedly abstained from participating in the hearings, citing pressure from Yanukovych. Meanwhile, Communist and Socialist appointees to the Central Election Commission remain on a ‘sick leave,’ effectively killing the quorum.


Hardly an hour passes without a cycle of recriminations, as each side attempts to cover its bases by blowing the whistle on the other.
The Orange ones, especially the stay-at-home mom of Ukrainian democracy, should do a better job of keeping in touch with their voters. Come out of your shell, will ya?

20 comments:

DLW said...

Awesome post...

dlw

Anonymous said...

Well, Taras replied in the comments at his blog to my question of how he reconciled his prophecy that things would work out well if an election took place and the predictions of the PoR.

He wrote, "It is too early to give accurate forecasts of election results. We know that 3 will get into the Rada: Regions, Our Ukraine, BYuT

It is unclear about the Communists. The Socialists will not. Two which could this time break through are the Progressive Socialists and Lytvyn bloc.

I suspect that orange parties (Our Ukraine, BYuT and possibly Lytvyn) will receive a slim majority.

The Anti-Crisis coalition is not happy at elections because:The Socialists are finished as a political force. The Communists are border line.

After the elections, Regions will either be in opposition or a junior partner in a coalition. The Anti-Crisis coalition is the only coalition of the 3 (Grand, Orange, Anti-Crisis) where Yanukovych is Prime Minister. It does not matter if Regions come first as in a proportional system who creates a coalition forms the government."

So it seems that the power-struggle over the Constitutional Court is a serious source of concern, as I think the issue is not what the Constitution says but a matter of values or influence...

dlw

Anonymous said...

stay-at-home mom -

LOL! ROFL! took a swig of beer and when I got to this point it almost did not make it down. You r funny!

Oh pls. she is too busy scheming and playing her own game. Let's face it, it is STILL not clear who will win and someone has to press the flesh with all the newly arrived diplomats in town.

And what is the problem - she sent a henchman in her place. And she has lots of those.

Anonymous said...

Also forgot to mention that this makes that when she does step out on stage so much more dramatic.

Plus native Kyivans are not going to come out for these politicos who let down the Maidan. People from the outskirts will so wait for the weekend.

Anonymous said...

5 judges out - my speculation is because they did this knowing they could not consciously rule for the Pres. And so decided in the interest of national interest to wait it out.

Taras said...

Greetings everyone!

Ever since she published her novel ‘Field Studies of Ukrainian Sex’ in 1995, Oksana Sabuschko (Zabuzhko) has blossomed into one of our finest intellectuals. As always, she makes her mark:)

The last twelve years of Ukrainian existence have furnished a wealth of highly suggestive material. I think Ukraine is ripe for something like ‘Field Studies of Post-Election Coitus Interruptus.’:)

Kuzio covers all major points. I can only add that having Yanukovych Socialists replaced with Progressive Socialists (PSPU) would be a huge regress. This extremely pro-Russian party, headed by woman TermiNATOr Nataliya Vitrenko, can neutralize any BMD system the Pentagon deploys in the first quarter of the 21st century:))

Still, a new election is the price we have to pay for disempowering the Cosa Regio Nostra, provided that eastern Ukraine gains adequate representation.

Hopefully, the Queen of the Night won’t go into hiding, and we’ll have her with us in person on Saturday night:)))

The ‘Justice 5’ show can be interpreted as an attempt to prevent an adverse outcome along the lines of ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune.’ We all know that courts and cash stick together in Ukraine, just as we also know who has more of both.

Taras said...

Drink responsibly;)!

DLW said...

Well, I got an email today from a Ukrainian friend from Cherkassy who is now in Kyiv protesting.

It wasn't any new info but it was simple and ended with a plea, "I want to ask you keep praying for our country, too many things depend on solving of this situation. "

I bring this up, because I think he's doing the right thing contacting me and others, telling us more about the situation in Ukraine and asking us to pray for it.

If you have contacts with the West, please also tell them more about Ukraine and key details to let them know about the situation there.

dlw

Anonymous said...

Import testimony 'bout impact of Orange Revolution on Civil Society in Ukraine.

Taras said...

>>“I don't think there are as many divisions as are hyped. I think unfortunately in politics everywhere — in this country and in Ukraine — sometimes these issues are used for political purposes. We've been working in eastern Ukraine for over 15 years and what we have come to understand is that there is a lack of sometimes information and that people are still making decisions based on stereotypes that they had for years.”

Great quote. The people there carry a baggage of Soviet stereotypes, which makes them a fair target of the the local oligarchy's divide-and-conquer doctrine. And the sad news is that the above statement is not a stereotype.

I’m doing my best to keep everyone I know updated, and your friend is indeed doing the right thing. We have to spread the word. The world has to know what’s going on from first-hand accounts.

Anonymous said...

"We've been working in eastern Ukraine"...

T. - WHERE do I sign up?

As ideologically motivated will work for pittance.
(though internet connection is the deal breaker :)

must have youtube! :)

Taras said...

Contact Nadia McConnell, President of the U.S.-Ukrainian Foundation:) Uncle Sam wants you;)!

Internet connection? That could be arranged through a massive CIA fundraising effort. Keep in mind that SCM will probably decline solicitations:)

Anonymous said...

sorry - West Ukraine bias - as evidenced by no Russian lang. version of site.

no current programs listed under Healthcare even though Ukraine is currently facing a demographic crisis of monumental devastation and health education should be a priority esp. about lifestyle (alcoholism, AIDs, high male mortality) Male born in 2002 has life expectancy of 63 yrs. while in EU it is 75 yrs. ... more numbers and figures avail. but they only state what is already known that net pop. growth in Ukraine is on the decline.

Encouraging business growth and investment is great as it will help build UA economy and inc. # of jobs avail. domestically which may help with immigration based on labor BUT without legal reforms in UA and anti-corruption it will only enrich the rich.

And the current emphasis is on bringing students to US from UA - great exposure. This is also true in hiring practices which keeps operating costs low but unless paired and mentored defeats the purpose.

Anonymous said...

Major omission ---- forgot to mention that the site has not been translated into Tartar.

Taras said...

As of today, Ukrainian is the only official language in this country. (Article I, Section 10) We go by the book. Hands off the Constitution!;)

The Court upholds the remaining portion of your statement. Ukraine indeed has a lot of climbing to do on the human development index:(

Anonymous said...

"the only official language"

Balderdash defense! the org. is an NGO and so is NOT a government official site the rules do not apply. A non-profit which is exclusionary? elitist? who misplaced their 'we accept all comers' manual?

Taras said...

Like I said, NGOs and CEOs operating on Ukrainian soil are all subject to Ukrainian law. The verdict is final and cannot be appealed. (gavel falls:)

"Ignorantia juris non excusat," as the Romans said;)

Let me therefore remind you that violation of the Constitution is punishable with up to twenty years imprisonment in the Gulag. Upon request, the sentence may be commuted to a week of reading the Guardian’s Ukraine coverage.

Anonymous said...

Nowhere does it say in the law that you cannot have additional languages avail. It only says that it MUST be in Ukrainian and there can be numerous and so on ...

If what ur saying is true then the site would be exclusively in UA.

Nonsense rhetoric easily blown apart by
a) Pres. of UA site - UA and English
b) "В Україні гарантується вільний розвиток, використання і захист російської, інших мов національних меншин України.
Держава сприяє вивченню мов міжнародного спілкування."
http://zakon1.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?nreg=254%EA%2F96%2D%E2%F0

It is really offensive to want to be part of EU and yet behave like village colonials. Where is the French? the German? the Italian? what don't Ukrainians live there too?

fine be insular
http://www.uapr.com.ua/cgi-bin/p.cgi?a=main&lng=ua&x=14,233

Taras said...

I guess I've lost the point of this argument:) Don't get me wrong. What I was trying to say is that every organization in this country should have a Ukrainian version available, period. The rest is humor:)

Anonymous said...

The point of the argument is that the us-ua site could easily also be avail. in lang. such as russian, tartar, romanian etc. (I wonder how many people working there know the Tartar lang.?) in addition to eng. and russian.

Why is this important - because it would show that they are an org. which wishes to work for the good of all Ukrainians in Ukraine and abroad. Not just for the exclusive some. It is stated in their mission "to enhance human rights ".

ach, what is the use?