EDITORIAL: Ukraine's "political kitchen" (09/26/04)

EDITORIAL

Ukraine's "political kitchen"

"I didn't have to be an astrologer to have predicted that these will be the dirtiest elections ever in an independent Ukraine." - President Leonid Kuchma, speaking on September 21 in reference to the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko.

With five weeks to go before Ukraine's all-important presidential election, this space was to be devoted this week to commenting on the problems already evident in the run-up to election day. You know, the use of "administrative resources," the unfair media coverage of the campaign by major media controlled by pro-Kuchma powers, the silencing of independent media, the pressuring of state employees to support the administration's candidate, the curtailment of candidates' access to the public, the dirty tricks aimed at discrediting the front-runner, etc.

Now, all that pales in comparison to the poisoning of the top candidate for president, Viktor Yushchenko.

As a result of some sort of "chemical poisoning" nearly three weeks ago, the leader of the Our Ukraine bloc found himself fighting for his life, even while under the care of doctors in Ukraine. Ultimately (and wisely) the decision was made to take him for medical care outside of the country to Vienna, where he was treated by a team of 12 doctors. According to the latest reports cited by National Deputy Yurii Kostenko, there is some indication that the chemical agent that nearly killed Mr. Yushchenko was ricin, an extremely potent toxin derived from the beans of the castor plant.

In most countries such reports would be treated with incredulity. But, this is Ukraine, where people die in mysterious car and truck collisions, where a former National Bank chairman was murdered and where the case of a beheaded journalist still is not resolved four years later.

President Leonid Kuchma basically has remained mum about the incident, except to say what is cited in the vile quote above. Mr. Yushchenko's chief competitor for the presidency, Viktor Yanukovych, the candidate of the current ruling clique, has not even spoken about the episode - though simple human decency would have required him to at least wish his fellow candidate a speedy recovery. What kind of national leaders does Ukraine have? The answer, unfortunately, is that Ukraine's leaders are the same ones under whose watch there have been a number of highly suspicious accidents and deaths.

On September 21 Mr. Yushchenko told his fellow national deputies: "Today we are talking about a political kitchen that orders murders. The next one could be you." He made no bones about the fact that he holds state authorities responsible for his poisoning - which now seems to have been an attempt on his life.

To its credit, the Verkhovna Rada voted in near unanimity for opening an investigation into the incident. The Procurator General's Office followed suit, announcing that it was opening its own criminal investigation. Time will tell whether these inquiries are any more fruitful than those conducted in many previous cases in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yushchenko, still not recovered from his ordeal, spoke before a crowd of approximately 15,000 supporters at a Kyiv rally that was simulcast to other cities and towns where his supporters had gathered. Addressing the authorities he said: "You will not poison us. You do not have enough bullets and KamAZ trucks. You cannot break us." He added: "There are not one, but tens of thousands of new Heorhii Gongadzes, Vyacheslav Chornovils, Vadym Hetmans and other good Ukrainians who will carry on the democratic struggle."

It is clear that Viktor Yushchenko is a fighter, but it is also clear that he is up against some of the dirtiest, meanest and most brutal forces as he fights for a better tomorrow for Ukraine.

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