Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Own goal after Euros
PoR bulldozed the second reading of their language bill through parliament on Tuesday, trampling over procedural rules to force through this most controversial of policies. A host of voting irregularities took place - speaker Lytvyn is set to resign.
PoR could have basked for a while in the afterglow of a reasonably successful Euro 2012 football competition. They have chosen not to do so and as a result have infuriated a large portion of the electorate.
The new policy will become law if and when it is signed off by the president.
What the authorities' language policy does is provide is a totem around which the opposition can unite - as can be seen in the today's protests outside the 'Ukrainskiy Dim' where the president was to deliver a grandiose press conference. This has now been cancelled - providing the opposition an easy victory. They can say despite the appearance of phalanxes of 'space cadets' he chickened out...
The arrogance of his party colleagues has forced Yanukovych to now face what could be the greatest crisis of his presidency so far.
The president faces an dilemma - but the damage has been done. Whether he and PoR back down or continue with this policy, this crisis could turn out to be the start of the turning of the political tide.
This bulldozing trick came AFTER Lytvyn had made public announcements about how the bill could not be looked at right away, because there were over 2000 proposed amendments to be looked at.
ReplyDeleteIt also came after Kolesnichenko, from the PoR, and a co-author of the bill, appeared publicly on several TV shows stating that there could be delays in passing the bill.
There is no honesty or truth on the part of the PoR sovok mafia.
In addition, apparently tear gas has been used on protesters who were protesting the bulldozing of this bill.
So much for "free speech" in Ukraine.
This is the theatre of politics. In the absence if meaningful policies Ukraine's political forces play the language card. There are much more pressing issues facing Ukraine then language.
ReplyDeleteConstitutional, Parliamentray and judicial reform should have been addressed long before now.
The current parliament has been dysfunctional since its ill fated election back. In 2007. Another failed legacy of Yushchenko
Threats of disbanding parliament on holding earlier elections are furhetpr examples of theatatrical man overs. It is highly questionable if early elections can be held in the absence if legislation or a vote of no confidence. The president has limited authority to call early elections within the time frame left before the noral elections are due to be held.
At worst Ukraine's parliament is dissolved and Ukraine waits until the October elections are held. This would deny the opposition a soap box and forum. It would create a feling of ongoing political crisis and play into the hands of the Givernmment.
Ukraine has failed to address the real issue of co situational reform and the need to remove presidential authority
As long as Ukraine remains beholden to presidential authority it will never be a free independent democratic state. It will co tinge to be divided and in a state if political crisis.
The people are getting tiered if his end,less state if affairs. It was bad enough under Yushchenko. They want to put an end to the divisions.