Ukrainiana

Opposition Member Becomes Secretary of National Security and Defense

In a surprise move, President Viktor Yushchenko today appointed MP Raisa Bohatyryova, PRU, to serve as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

The appointment of a high-profile opposition figure to a key government post — a political maneuver rarely seen in the rest of the world — blurs distinctions between government and opposition. It gives a new meaning to the give and take of Ukrainian politics, and expands the boundaries of consciousness.

Yanukovych has frowned on the act, something he did literally at a press conference on Monday, when asked about his housing privileges.

Serhiy Leshchenko of Ukrayinska Pravda views Bohatyryova's promotion as a multipronged stratagem to engage Tymoshenko in a tug of war and drive a wedge in the Party of Regions.

Agreed, playing two ladies off against each other can be fun, but what if they start playing against you? What if the hunter becomes the hunted?

Sources:
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/12/24/68974.htm
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/12/24/68937.htm
http://tabloid.pravda.com.ua/files/9/_Picture_file_path_9984.jpg