Some public officials just don’t seem to heed the President’s call for frugality.
Meet Kyiv Oblast Governor Vira Ulyanchenko, a friend of President Yushchenko and his appointee, who sped away from the recent NUNS convention in a Mercedes S550 4Matic.
Asked by Serhiy Leshchenko of Ukrayinska Pravda about her luxury car, Governor Ulyanchenko replied, “That’s a leftover from Zasukha,” referring to former governor Anatoliy Zasukha, the local pillar of the Kuchma regime.
The only problem with her story, says Leshchenko, is that the Mercedes S550 4Matic simply did not exist during the Kuchma era.
Further investigation revealed that the car, bought in 2008, is registered to Ulyanchenko’s driver and, by arrangement, may also be used by her husband’s driver.
According to Ulyanchenko’s 2005 tax returns, she and her husband made Hr. 112,000 ($22,178) and Hr. 123,000 ($24,356) respectively and had no savings. In 2006, Ulyanchenko earned a monthly salary of Hr. 7,000 ($1,386).
Nice car, Mrs. Governor!
One more car thing. Here’s how President Yushchenko and PM Tymoshenko left the scene of the tragedy in Yevpatoria.
The “two for the road” failed to buckle up, thus violating traffic rules.
According to Tymoshenko, she and Yushchenko consumed two bottles of cognac on their flight back to Kyiv. “Bohatyryova was the third one. But I remained the soberest one,” Tymoshenko was quoted as saying.
Sources:
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2008/12/30/87030.htm
http://tabloid.pravda.com.ua/scandal/49592100d6a2b/
http://pravda.com.ua/news/2008/12/29/86938.htm
Photo credits: Ukrayinska Pravda, Tabloid
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5 comments:
Once again, we recall that song: How do they do it? (¿Como lo hacen?).
Interesting question, yet rhetorical.
I read the comments to the article on the Ukrainian Pravda web site.
This is not just a friend of Yushchenko, but a very close friend.
I am struggling to find the words to explain the fury that people feel not only about her piggishness and corruption, but also the absolute fury that they feel about Yushchenko letting everyone down after the Orange Revolution.
There was not a single favorable comment about this pig-woman - nor about Yushchenko, to whom they sarcastically referred as the "guarantor" of the Ukrainian Constitution, the "one-law-for-all" man.
Quite a few people referred to upcoming elections - Yushchenko does not stand a ghost of a chance. He's toast - he's done.
A couple of comments also pointed out that the way this pig-woman got her money was through land grabitization - corrupt privatization of land.
There was also overwhelming praise for the job, the facts, the analysis, done by the reporter.
There were a few "look in the mirror - we elected these bums" comments.
And, of course, needless to say, a couple of other comments pointed out that the corruption is not limited to this particular pig-woman - or her husband.
Ms. piggy told the reporter that she worked 12 hour days, to which one of the commenters replied that "they" (it's not limited to Ms. Piggy) may claim they work 12 hour days - but they spend about 30-40 minutes on their government job, and the rest is figuring out how to acquire their loot.
Lots of sarcasm (e.g., "don't stop her from doing her work for the people," "these hands never stole anything").
And, of course, at least one comment pointed out her sovok habit of lying without hesitation, without blushing.
It is very, very clear that people are seriously, seriously pissed at all of this, and at Yushchenko - and that's an understatement.
Yushchenko stated quite often that "corruption is killing the country".
And the people feel that he did nothing to stop it, and that this is a prime example.
Gabriela,
Tienes razon otra vez! Para los politicos todo es posible!
Feliz Navidad Ortodoxa:)!
Russian President,
Your last comment certainly merits a response. I regret having accidentally deleted it.
At the very least, we’re dealing with personal aggrandizement, a hallmark of the Ukrainian bureaucracy. The original report offers no specific conclusions attributing the car to embezzlement, diversion or taxpayer money squandering.
One thing is clear: In the West, her career would be over long before the probe would be complete. Not so in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, the Russian bureaucracy can hardly be a positive role model in this area.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to you!
Elmer,
Yes, a very close friend, a confidante, and one who used to act as a charity fundraiser/liaison officer between Yushchenko and the oligarchs.
I wouldn’t call her a pig. Ad hominem arguments prove to be counterproductive and would only kill the main argument: that she exemplifies the government at its worst.
And, yes, in the government, like in any other organization, employees take their cues from the top.
Z Rizdvom Khrystovym!
You know, Taras, sometimes an ad hominem argument is just a fact.
And sometimes, a pig is - a pig.
There were comments, such as "сцуко" (bitch, in the sense of a dog on the Ukrainian Pravda site, which are also accurate.
Someone over there calculated that, at her yearly 7,000 hryvnia salary, it would take here well over 15 years to save up enough money to get such a car, assuming no other expenses.
And they also noted that, although she claims her husband is a "beeznessmen," noone's ever heard of him.
There were other comments that very clearly indicated that Ukrainians are sick and tired of this kind of piggishness (those were the comments at Ukrainian Pravda), and it is time for pigs like her to stop feeding at the trough (корито).
How long are Ukrainians going to put up with this?
Sometimes the best, quickest, most accurate description is - pig.
And sometimes a pig is indeed - a pig.
Not that I disagree with your term. I just wanted to put the wrongdoing first.
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