Innumerable
are the entries over the many years the blog has been running that lament the
lack of political ideology within Ukrainian political parties.
Plentiful are
the entries relating to Ukrainian political parties (with a few exceptions
within the far right and far left of the spectrum) that bemoan the fact that
political parties have always been founded and used as a vehicle solely for its
leader – and thus party policy being little more than the whim of that leader
on any particular day.
Abundant are
the historical entries that decry the fact that all leaders are bigger than
their political party, rather than the party being bigger than the leader – and
thus no party has ever controlled the fecklessness and irresponsible statements
and actions of its leader.
Whatever hope
there was for Samopomich as an oligarch-less party with an understanding of
public responsibility and accountability, ideologically driven and with a
holistic view of national politics have been more than somewhat tempered by an
increasingly obvious move toward populism and also a belligerence that when now
in opposition, it simply opposes – rather than supporting reasonable and/or occasional
(if ever rare) good policy and legislation when it appears whilst rightly
robustly and noisily opposing poor policy and legislation when it all too
frequently is produced.
It is thus
necessary to seek out the next attempt at a values and ideology based political
entity – for they remain extremely scare.
29th June
will see a gathering in Kyiv behind closed doors of many well known reform
orientated politicians and civil society members. Of those reformist
public figures, Sergei Leshchenko, Mustafa Nayem, Svitlana Zalishchuk,
Victoria Ptashnik, Deputy Economy Minister Maxim Nefodov, Deputy Minister of
Ecology Svetlana Kolomiets, a former Deputy Minister of Education Oleg
Derevyanko, the participants of the Civil Platform Valerii Pekar, Andrei Dligach
and Taras Kozak, as well as Basil Gatsko and Maxim Cherkasenko are expected to
attend. Indeed a total of about 100 public reformist figures are expected
to participate.
Prima facie it seems a very unlikely group for Governor
Saakashvili (and his team) to lead in any political party machine going
forward, for it is a group far more inclined to work by “committee” and
horizontally. Thus it would seem very likely that as/when/if Governor
Saakashvili launches his election based political career upon the Ukrainian
national stage within a national party (which will operate upon a vertical)
it will not be, indeed could not be, part of this group.
To be blunt,
the reformist church in Ukraine is not a church without schism among both High
Chamberlains and/or within the reformist congregation. The individual
egos, (and potential clashes thereof) of reformist preachers aside, there will
still be significant differences between left and right leaning members of the
reformist congregation. It would be extremely naive to think otherwise.
Care should be taken to recognise the nuances.
The outcome
of the Kyiv conclave of 29th July when looking at the attendees, (whether there
be an immediate formal announcement or a continuance of political and
organisational powder being kept dry), seems likely to be an ideologically and
values based political party with known and committed “ins” and “outs” ready to
be launched at any moment deemed most politically expedient.
With Governor
Saakashvili likely to lead (sooner or later) an ideologically “reformist centre
right” political party that seems certain to gain at least 10% of the national
vote, will this group become an ideologically “reformist centre left”? It
is a group that is also likely to garner at least 10% of the national vote too.
Should a
clearly reform orientated Samopomich tone down its populist nonsense and become
a responsible opposition voting both for and against policy more wisely, there
is perhaps some sign of a possibly significant reformist, ideologically “centre”
coalition emerging that has far less malignant oligarchical influence than at
any other time in the history of an independent Ukraine. The question
then facing centre left and centre right is their ability to deal with the
schims within.
The tone and
timing of statements following this conclave of reformers on 29th June will be
something to keep a watchful eye upon over the summer months.
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