With all the headlines that accompanied, and
will continue to accompany, the appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili as the new
Governor of Odessa Oblast, it is easy to forget about his predecessor, Igor
Palitsa.
Mr Palitsa was and is Igor Kolomoisky’s man that
was tasked with not only insuring Odessa remained pro-Ukraine, but also with
looking out for Mr Kolomoisky’s interests in the Oblast. He accomplished
both whilst holding the office of Odessa Governor.
But what of Mr Palitsa now? A return to
the business world, or perhaps that and something more?
Like many exceptionally wealthy Ukrainians of
influence, Mr Palitsa has a “foundation” or “fund”. Messrs Yatseniuk,
Firtash, Pinchuk etc., all have one, and so does Mr Palitsa. His is
called the “Новий Луцьк” or “New
Lutsk”. Mr Palitsa does indeed hail from Lutsk, so why not operate a
fund/team of civic activists to better your home town?
For those that keep a watchful eye on Ukrainian
civil society, this is not really a surprise. Co-opting or infiltrating
civil society is an oligarchical element no different to “owning” MPs across
all political parties, as well as heavily funding individual parties in and of
themselves.
The theory
being, and one which is normally correct, that it is easier to influence from
within than without.
Naturally, such “funds”, “foundations” and
“civil society” entities also insure society is duly appreciative of their
sponsors – becoming particularly as new community playgrounds etc., suddenly
appear prior to election campaigns.
Indeed, such “civil society” groups can also
shape (local) public opinion with relative ease, no differently from the media
or politicians.
As the clip above demonstrates perfectly – it’s
all about framing the issue first and in a way that those behind the curtain
want them framed to gain the “right answer”.
What has this to do with Odessa now Mr Palitsa
is no longer resident, yet Mr Kolomoisky’s interests remain? With both Mr
Kolomoisky and Mr Palitsa no longer governors, despite “owing” a minority of
deputies in the Oblast and City Administrations, is there sufficient weight to
protect those interests?
Mr Saakashvili is wasting no time in cleaning
out all those that served in top positions under Mr Palitsa. Deputy
Governors Kuchuk and Chegodar have been sacked/lustrated, many heads and deputy
heads of departments are either resigning or desperately trying to justify why
they shouldn’t be sacked.
The power – or not – of the City Mayor will soon
be visible in a city administration reshuffle at the end of June. Of
particular note will be who the new Deputy Mayor will be, and who they align
with/”owns” them.
If the Kolomoisky people lose influence within,
and Mayor Trukhanov currently is a Kolomoisky man (Kolomoisky sponsored his
mayoral campaign), will he remain so? Will he even remain Mayor? If
he loses power and the administration behind the curtain to a new no-aligned
Deputy Mayor, Mayor Trukhanov will become no more than a decorative figurehead.
The question then, what additional
levers/influences can be created to pressure and maneuver forces less friendly
to protect or promote the relevant Kolomoisky/Palitsa interests in the
“Saakashvili epoch”?
It appears, that despite spending only a year in
Odessa, Igor Palitsa has become so attached to the city/Oblast that he is going
to open an “Odessa Foundation”. The aim of this “foundation” is to solve
“issues” in Odessa.
All of this is to be done soon – and a potential
influence/lever inserted into the machinery.
Why were these “issues” not addressed when he
ran the Oblast? Apparently when a government official (as Governor),
nobody (unbelievably) wanted his assistance. Now he is no longer a
government official, he can rally businesses and civic activists under the
“Odessa Foundation” banner to deal with social and economic issues.
Seemingly now he is less powerful (by way of official position) more
people will ask for his help and leadership.
It would appear that not only local politics and
governance may be subject to a few external shocks. Local civil society
seems destined to receive a new, and very well funded, actor. A “civil front” is about to be
opened.
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