Yushchenko, Yekhanurov outline priorities for Ukraine (02/05/06)

Yushchenko, Yekhanurov outline priorities for Ukraine

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - On the first anniversary of his inauguration, President Viktor Yushchenko told the Ukrainian people that they had just gone through a year in which society had changed, promising even more reform during his second year in office.

"More than anything, 2005 was a year of re-evaluating views in society," Mr. Yushchenko said in the television address broadcast the evening of January 23. "There is historical value in that. We have viewed ourselves in a new way - our nation, our history and its future."

Mr. Yushchenko listed five primary spheres of society his government would target for improvement: health care, education, energy resources, the judicial system and Ukrainian villages.

More than a week after the president's address to the nation, Prime Minister Yurii Yekhanurov outlined the top six priorities for his Cabinet of Ministers for 2006 in a speech before several hundred students and professors at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy on February 2.

First and foremost among these priorities, Mr. Yekhanurov said, is stabilizing Ukraine's economy. The prime minister also listed establishing a dialogue between government and business, improving energy independence and improving the people's quality of life among his top goals.

The state of the state

President Yushchenko told Ukrainian citizens on January 23 that a "Health of the Nation" program will guarantee every Ukrainian a list of free medical services. The government will also strive to provide basic health care in Ukrainian villages.

The education system demands modernizing, Mr. Yushchenko said, and government needs to improve access as well as quality. "The era of 'the knowledge economy' has emerged, when intellectual resources bring a nation far more profit than natural ones," he said. Teachers will earn adequate salaries, Mr. Yushchenko said, and corruption in institutes and universities will be combated through independent testing.

Ukraine needs to diversify its energy resources and implement a program of energy savings, he said.

"To ensure the nation's energy independence, we plan to reduce energy consumption this year by a minimum of 10 percent," Mr. Yushchenko said.

The president said he would focus judicial reform on creating an independent judicial branch of government "to ensure the rights and freedom guaranteed by the Constitution."

Developing Ukrainian villages and encouraging young people to remain or return will require support for farmers, extending credit for agricultural ventures, providing social programs and implementing the latest agricultural technology.

Ukraine's main foreign policy goal remains joining the European Union (EU), said Mr. Yushchenko. Another priority is rebuilding quality relations with Russia.

"I will demand that each government official and Ukrainian diplomat tenaciously defend Ukraine's national interest," he said.

Mr. Yushchenko said he hopes the new Parliament will pass laws bringing Ukraine into compliance with European standards, thereby quickening accession to the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In five years, every Ukrainian able to work will have a steady job and decent salary, Mr. Yushchenko added.

The March 26 parliamentary elections will test Ukrainian society's commitment to democracy, he said, and will determine Ukraine's path of development in the next five years.

For the first time in a Ukrainian election, the government won't abuse government funds or pressure voters, he said. All political advertising will occur on the parties' dole.

Mr. Yushchenko said he won't allow any political party to work toward dividing Ukraine by exploiting linguistic or religious differences, or by promoting federalism or separatism.

The president also proposed a plan to stabilize the social-political situation in Ukraine. First, he called for a moratorium on any legislative or executive decisions or actions that would destabilize Ukraine's situation.

The government, the president and the Verkhovna Rada are supposed to work together to create conditions for honest elections, elect a new Parliament and create a majority that will shape the new government.

Second, Mr. Yushchenko said it's necessary to ensure that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine performs competent work of high standards. Therefore, he called upon the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada's next session to nominate and approve judges to the Court.

At present, only nine of the Constitutional Court's 18 seats have been filled. It doesn't have a quorum and, therefore, is unable to perform its duties of reviewing whether laws or government actions are constitutional. Six judges are appointed by the president, another six by a panel of judges and another six by a majority in the Rada.

Political experts believe Mr. Yushchenko wants a functioning Constitutional Court in order to challenge the legitimacy of the constitutional changes that took effect on January 1.

Although questioning the constitutionality of changes to the Ukrainian Constitution may seem irrational, the Constitutional Court typically executes the wishes of the Ukrainian president, said Ivan Lozowy, president of the Kyiv-based Institute of Statehood and Democracy, which is exclusively financed by Ukrainian business donations.

The main achievement in the first year of his presidency, Mr. Yushchenko said, was renewing a feeling of national dignity. "Today we say, 'Yes, I am a citizen of Ukraine and I'm proud of that!' " Mr. Yushchenko said.

Economic accomplishments of 2005 included reducing the black market that resulted in a 150 percent increase in budget revenues and the re-privatization of Kryvorizhstal.

Mr. Yushchenko claimed real incomes rose 20 percent, however many Ukrainians argue that inflation eliminated any increases.

Freedom of speech has been ensured under his presidency, Mr. Yushchenko said.

"The government's main lesson from 2005 was 'Ukraine above everything!' "" Mr. Yushchenko said. "We are supposed to be a strong and united team, refraining from our own ambitions on behalf of Ukraine's future."

The best example of the Ukrainian government defending its national interests was during the natural gas crisis with Russia. The Yushchenko government fulfilled its promise of not increasing natural gas prices and secured the least expensive price in all of Europe.

Furthermore, "Ukraine's gas transport system remains in the state's ownership," Mr. Yushchenko said. "There is no discussion of transferring its ownership to other nations or groups of nations."

PM outlines Cabinet's priorities

Prime Minister Yekhanurov's speech on February 2 at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy came less than two months before the parliamentary elections, which will lead to the formation of a new government.

Unless Mr. Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc is able to form the parliamentary majority after the March 26 elections, Mr. Yekhanurov and his Cabinet are likely to leave their posts.

At this point, almost all Ukrainian political experts foresee Our Ukraine forming a coalition with either the Party of the Regions or the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc.

If a coalition is formed with the Tymoshenko Bloc, then Ms. Tymoshenko would become prime minister because that is the bloc's pre-condition.

If Our Ukraine opts to join with the Party of the Regions, the latter party would have the advantage selecting the prime minister because the Party of the Regions is likely to win the most votes in March.

In spite of his likely dismissal after the elections, Mr. Yekhanurov discussed his Cabinet's priorities, the first of which involve stabilizing Ukraine's economy.

The government will help improve the innovation and competitiveness of entrepreneurs, promote small- to medium-sized business and develop the instruments of an effective market economy.

Halting re-privatization and optimizing a system of taxation also will stabilize the economy, he said.

Negative acts by Parliament contribute to the negative investment climate in Ukraine, Mr. Yekhanurov said, directly referring to the pro-Russian forces opposing Ukraine's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

As a second priority Mr. Yekhanurov stressed the importance of government building a dialogue with businesses.

Government has to become more responsible, transparent and predictable for business, he said. Businesses need to be warned of changes in law that would affect the business climate, and their participation in government committee work will enable that, Mr. Yekhanurov said.

The government will encourage more businesses to finance and renew Ukrainian culture. "In a democratic society, business should realize on its own its social responsibility in building the nation," he said.

Ukraine must reduce its dependency on foreign energy sources, Mr. Yekhanurov said, a problem which has deep historical roots. He referred to Ukraine's relations with the Russian Federation in this sphere as "mono-dependence."

A normal country should depend on another nation for only 30 percent of its energy, he said. To accomplish this, Ukraine must reduce natural gas consumption, Mr. Yekhanurov said.

To replace natural gas, Ukraine has significant potential in further developing its electric energy, which it already exports to neighboring countries.

Hydrostations are inexpensive investments in this sphere, he said.

However, Ukraine's single most significant means of ensuring independence is atomic energy, Mr. Yekhanurov said.

More than 50 percent of Ukraine's energy comes from atomic stations, but the nation receives 100 percent of its atomic fuel from Russia, another form of dependency that requires reduction. "You understand that for the last 15 years this problem has not been resolved," Mr. Yekhanurov said.

The Cabinet's fourth priority is improving the quality of life of the Ukrainian people, the prime minister continued. The government is supposed to guarantee high standards in education, health care, pension security and material provision to the population in need, Mr. Yekhanurov said.

Fifth, the Cabinet would make efforts to unify Ukraine. Historically, Ukraine has been divided between various nations and cultures, and this fact has been and is currently being exploited by political forces acting in their own interests.

The main instrument for unifying the diverse Ukrainian population is development of the transportation infrastructure, Mr. Yekhanurov said. Government policy should make available to every young person the ability and access to fly from Donetsk to Lviv, he said.

A project is under way for trains to travel as fast as 300 kilometers an hour, Mr. Yekhanurov added.

Improving trust in the government is a sixth goal, Mr. Yekhanurov said. "We have quite a low trust in government from society, and this doesn't adhere to democratic traditions," Mr. Yekhanurov said.

To renew trust among the people, the government will continue to actively fight corruption, raise the transparency and accountability of government policy, and reduce government interference into the business and social relations of citizens.

"I want to stress that the Cabinet's priorities aren't only an inseparable part of Ukraine's strategic development, but it's a working document which constantly renews itself," Mr. Yekhanurov stated.

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