Ukraine's new ministers proclaim ambitious goals to benefit people of Ukraine (02/27/05)

Ukraine's new ministers proclaim ambitious goals to benefit people of Ukraine

by Tatiana Matviichuk
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - Members of Ukraine's new Cabinet of Ministers have declared ambitious goals as part of President Viktor Yushchenko's efforts to provide Ukrainians with a government more transparent and responsive to their needs.

The ministers' goals include establishing a prestigious Ukrainian museum in Kyiv, improving access to pharmaceuticals and providing financial aid for pregnant women.

Among the most visible of the ministers is the successful pop singer from western Ukraine Oksana Bilozir. Ms. Bilozir, 47, a member of the Our Ukraine coalition, holds the titles Honored Artist of Ukraine (1986) and People's Artist of Ukraine (1994).

At her first press conference as Ukraine's new minister of culture on February 22, Ms. Bilozir announced her first initiative: the establishment of a new Department of Diaspora and International Collaboration.

Working in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the department's goal is to establish cultural centers, or so-called "Ukrainian Houses," for the Ukrainian diaspora around the globe, including the U.S. and Canada. The department will work to enhance the diaspora's communication and support cultural needs, Ms. Bilozir said.

Among the top priorities of her tenure, Minister Bilozir said, will be the decentralization of Ukrainian culture. At present, many artists are detached or dislocated from their native regions because they have no option other than traveling to Kyiv in order to succeed, she said.

"(The artist) has to take himself from his environment, family, friends, home; to wrest himself away from his roots and go to Kyiv and show his skills, talent, society importance in absolutely unsuitable conditions," Ms. Bilozir explained.

Instead, the ministry will try to foster cultural and artistic centers in regions throughout Ukraine, she said. Rather than organizing these centers in oblasts, the ministry will organize regions culturally and ethnically, said Ms. Bilozir. For example, Halychyna, Zakarpattia, Slobozhanschyna, Crimea and Donbas would become designated cultural regions to keep artists linked, the minister explained.

By 2006, Ms. Bilozir said she expects the Ukrainian government will allocate 2 percent of its budget to the Ministry of Culture and Art. It is currently given a low priority and is supported largely by the remaining portion of the budget after other ministries receive their financing.

To address the lack of financing, Ms. Bilozir said her ministry will develop a business-oriented approach to the entertainment industry that would enable artists to support themselves.

She also stressed the important role of donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), culture-supporting foundations and grants.

Another goal is to establish a world-class museum in Kyiv that would display Ukrainian cultural treasures and history, Minister Bilozir said. President Yushchenko demonstrated support for the museum during a January tour of the vacant Arsenal factory, just opposite the Kyivan Caves Monastery (Pecherska Lavra). The goal is to create a museum that draws international recognition, such as the Louvre in France and the Hermitage in Russia.

Before becoming minister, Ms. Bilozir was a member of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Foreign Affairs. She chaired the Shevchenko University department of culture and art.

Ms. Bilozir has no current singing engagements, but said she plans to resume her career in six months.

Mykola Polischuk, Ukraine's new minister of health, also has ambitious plans. He told his ministry employees to expect reforms that would include improved medical education and a free medical exam for each Ukrainian citizen.

As his first action as minister, Dr. Polischuk, a physician, investigated the accessibility of pharmaceuticals, an issue that is of deep concern to Ukrainians. On a surprise visit to pharmacies on the Khreschatyk, Kyiv's main boulevard, Mr. Polischuk asked for a variety of drugs. He said he was disappointed with the high prices for the most necessary medications, some of which he wasn't even able to find.

"There is no effective regulation and monitoring of drug accessibility and pricing in Kyiv," Minister Polischuk said. "And what is going on in the regions?!"

The law forbids pharmacies from increasing wholesale prices by more than 35 percent. Nevertheless, some retailers double prices, Dr. Polischuk said, even on medicines that can't be substituted.

These matters are typically under the stewardship of the Ministry of the Economy, but Dr. Polischuk said he wanted to provide the impetus to begin the process of reform. He noted that he has already met with pharmaceutical companies to discuss possible ways of making drugs cheaper.

Since June 2002, Dr. Polischuk, a member of Our Ukraine, has headed the Verkhovna Rada's Committee for Health Care, Motherhood and Childhood. He holds a doctorate in medicine and is a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.

At the time of the presidential election, Dr. Polischuk was chief of microsurgery at the Kyiv Shupyk Medical Academy of Post-Graduate Education. In May 2004 Dr. Polischuk, 60, was awarded the Order of Yaroslav the Wise. He is also recognized in the science and engineering fields.

Dr. Polischuk got the idea of surprise visits from Stanislav Nikolayenko, the new minister of education and science. Mr. Nikolayenko, 48, is president of the All-Ukrainian Association of Workers of Professional Education. He holds degrees in mechanical engineering and political science, and is a candidate of the pedagogical sciences.

A member of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, Mr. Nikolayenko is a second-term national deputy in Verkhovna Rada and secretary of the parliamentary Committee on Education and Science. During his first week as minister, he visited schools in Kyiv and Kirovohrad without notice to talk to teachers and discuss new programs.

During his first press conference Mr. Nikolayenko defined his ministry's priority as an innovative triad: education, science and productivity. Among his first tasks, he said, is to improve the quality of education in Ukraine within a European framework.

Minister Nikolayenko said he will push for Ukraine's participation in the Bologna Process, which will establish a European Higher Education Zone by 2010. Membership would guarantee that Ukrainian diplomas, degrees and teaching qualifications would receive equal recognition in Western European educational institutions. The Bologna Club is to consider Ukrainian membership when it meets in Norway in May.

Minister Nikolayenko also brought up his discussions with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, in which he asked that Microsoft refrain from cutting its educational programs in Ukraine, a move that the software giant had been planning.

The youngest member of President Yushchenko's new Cabinet is 29-year-old Yurii Pavlenko, the minister of family, children and youth.

Three days after his appointment as minister, Mr. Pavlenko had to deliver a speech on the improving children's health and further development of the International Children's Center Artek in Crimea. Mr. Pavlenko had urged such development long before, as an Our Ukraine deputy. Now, preparing for a critical speech as a minister, Mr. Pavlenko said he "found himself on the opposite side of the barricade."

Mr. Pavlenko was a member of the Rada's Committee on Youth Policy, Physical Education, Sports and Tourism. A member of Our Ukraine, Mr. Pavlenko is also vice-president of the International Association of Foreign Policy and a former chairperson of the Union of Christian-Democratic Youth.

He earned a master's degree in public administration at the University of North London in England in 1998. Prior to that he majored in history at Taras Shevchenko National State University in Kyiv. He earned a master's degree in public administration from the Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration in 1999.

Viacheslav Kyrylenko, 36, a member of Our Ukraine, was named minister of labor and social policy.

In the words of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, this minister will be responsible to the people for everything. His priorities are to provide the higher pensions promised by the former government and to initiate government financial aid for births.

Another priority of social policy is to raise the minimal salary that is less than the minimal pension. "In our county we should move from a policy of minimums to a policy of average salaries and average purchase power," he said during his press conference.

In the Verkhovna Rada Mr. Kyrylenko was first vice-chair of the Committee on Labor and Social Policy. He graduated from the Shevchenko University of Kyiv in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. From 1993 to 1999 he headed the Molodyi (Young) Rukh.

Rounding out the Cabinet are four more newly appointed ministers.

Minister of Environmental Protection Pavlo Ihnatenko, 31, is a member of the Our Ukraine coalition. In the Verkhovna Rada he was a member of the Committee on Fighting Organized Crime and the Special Control Commission on Privatization.

Fuel and Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov, 47, since 1995 had served as board chairman and director general of the KyivEnerho power company, which provides heat and electricity in Kyiv. In 1999, under Prime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko, he held the post of fuel and energy minister.

Minister of Emergencies Davyd Zhvania, 37, of the Our Ukraine coalition was born and educated in Tbilisi, Georgia. He has lived in Ukraine since 1991, and most recently held the position of president of Brinkford Cons Ltd.

Minister of Industrial Policy Volodymyr Shandra, 42, a member of Our Ukraine, was vice-chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Industrial Policy. He served as board chairman of the Slavuta factory.

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Editor's note: The first part of The Weekly's look at Ukraine's new ministers appeared in last week's issue, which highlighted the ministers of foreign affairs, internal affairs, defense, economy, finance, transport/communications, justice and agrarian affairs, as well as the chief of the Security Service of Ukraine.

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