Rukh marks 15th anniversary

Movement hastened demise of USSR

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The National Rukh of Ukraine Party commemorated 15 years since it was created as a civic organization on September 8, 1989 - an event that historians believe hastened the demise of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an independent Ukrainian state.

Rukh, which registered as a political party in 1992 after Ukraine achieved independence, was the uniting and driving force behind a multi-faceted movement of various social and political forces whose common element was the desire to create a sovereign and independent Ukraine.

Since then it has suffered its ups and downs, among them its inability to capitalize on its early successes and take the reins of state power in its hands in 1992 after the Soviet Union collapsed. It has also gone through several internal schisms, most notably in 1999, just prior to the death of its most prominent member and longtime leader, Vyacheslav Chornovil, which left the party depleted and disorganized.

However, the last two years have seen a Rukh resurgence in its fortunes, as the party has found new strength in current leader Borys Tarasyuk, a former minister of foreign affairs and a close associate of Viktor Yushchenko, leader of the Our Ukraine movement, of which Rukh is a primary member.

Speaking in Kyiv at Rukh Party headquarters, Mr. Tarasyuk emphasized that, while the party could take the blame for some of the problems it has had over the years, it remained undeniable that the state authorities had engaged in a protracted battle aimed at the destruction of the Rukh Party.

"Inasmuch as Rukh poses a threat to the state authorities, they have tried to divide it or clone it," explained Mr. Tarasyuk. "For example, there is Bohdan Boiko's Rukh for Unity and more recently Natalia Vitrenko's Rukh for Reunion with Russia and Belarus."

He explained that, in cloning it, state officials understood they would leave citizens confused and in that way diffuse the party's influence and strength.

Mr. Tarasyuk noted that, nevertheless, today the Rukh Party has 19 of its members in the Verkhovna Rada, three of whom are committee chairmen, and that its national deputies had sponsored 550 pieces of legislation since the last Parliament was elected two years ago. He also called attention to the fact that the party was listed among the top five political parties in Ukraine in most social surveys.

Mr. Tarasyuk underscored that among the many contributions to Ukraine's development that Rukh could claim, one of the most prominent was its role in the development of a multi-party system.

"Several political parties developed from the Rukh Movement, some of which remain today, and some of which have become part of history," explained Mr. Tarasyuk. "The fact remains that Rukh laid the foundation for a national political consciousness."

He said the National Rukh movement could claim credit for raising national consciousness and then carrying out a peaceful and tolerant "velvet revolution" in Ukraine in 1990-1992.

The former foreign affairs minister explained that the national movement was a driving force in developing a united country and gave as a concrete example the organization of a human chain from Lviv to Kyiv in July 1991. He noted that since independence the party had worked toward developing Ukrainian society and raising the standard of living.

"Many of the ideas put forward by Rukh over the years have been usurped by the current state leadership. Unfortunately, they have been used for their own benefit and not the benefit of society," noted Mr. Tarasyuk.

Mr. Tarasyuk expressed general dissatisfaction with state authorities for disregarding attempts by Rukh officials to have the 15th anniversary celebrated as a nationwide holiday.

Official ceremonies were to have taken place at the historic Teacher's Building in Kyiv on September 12. Mr. Tarasyuk pointed out that, while the Rukh leadership thought the main hall of the building too small for such a large celebration, the government had been unwilling to provide a more suitable and prominent venue.

"Our attempts to make it nationwide led nowhere," said Mr. Tarasyuk. "The authorities wouldn't even give us an appropriate assembly hall."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, September 12, 2004, No. 37, Vol. LXXII

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