Another day, another scandal - the Ukrainian "orange" revolution marks its first 100 days

Pravda ^ | 05/04/2005

[A. Pole]

The Ukrainian people have survived the first one hundred days with Victor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko at the helm.

A few more years lie ahead. The results of the first one hundred days can be used as a forecast for things to come.



The Yushchenko regime is a showoff by nature and "Another day, another scandal" seems to be its appropriate motto. The new government laid into Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine's former president, and promised to throw him into jail should he ever return to Ukraine from his overseas vacation. Mr. Kuchma returned to Ukraine. And he is still at large.

Victor Yushchenko not only accused his predecessor of "plundering the country", he also accused Mr. Kuchma of taking part in the murder of the opposition journalist Georgy Gongadze. The new president even went on air the to announce that "the case was solved" by the authorities.

Yuri Kravchenko, the former Interior Minister and a key witness to the Gongadze case, committed suicide two days after Mr. Yushchenko made his announcement. Mr. Kravchenko was reported to have shot himself twice in the head.

The authorities eventually made it quite clear that Mr. Kravchenko had shot himself because of his unbearable feelings of guilt and thus he acknowledged the collective responsibility of Mr. Kuchma's team for that crime. No further explanations were given. The murder of the journalist was used as a disposable tool for settling old scores.

It is arguable that a redistribution of assets became the most notorious project of the new Ukrainian government. The attempts to re-examine the privatization of the Krivorozhstal steelworks could have settled scores with Mr. Kuchma's team. On the other hand, it could have fetched the government a few extra millions of dollars. But the government soon threw in the towel. The court ruled that new owners of Krivorizhstal should keep the facility. The government then rushed to nationalize the Zaporozhye aluminum smelter currently owner by Victor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch. A number of other enterprises owned by Russian businessmen in Ukraine are also on the list. As a result, Ukraine's investment environment worsened dramatically. Russian business community no longer views Ukraine as a partner with good prospects. Meanwhile, Ukrainian business community is not planning to run the risk of dealing with the unpredictable regime of Mr. Yushchenko either. According to the Ukrainian media, local businessmen are shutting down their shops and looking for potential buyers who might dare express interest in their property.

However, Mr. Yushchenko himself is quite content with the first one hundred days of his presidency. Mr. Yushchenko rated the performance of Mrs. Tymoshchenko's government as "very high". He praised the government for its efforts in making the state budget socially oriented and giving pay raises to public sector workers. Although he did not mention that the new government was simply spending tax revenues and operating profit from the enterprises whose economic growth was paid for in the past.

The present economic policies which scare off the investors may result in serious fiscal problems facing the government of Mrs. Tymoshenko next year. The government may be unable to fill the state coffers as required. The thing is that the prime minister put a wagon in front of a horse. She devised a detailed plan for spending the money without making necessary arrangements as regards the revenues.

In the meantime, some factors indicate that the economic situation in Ukraine is not so optimistic as painted by the official media. Transportation costs became higher, import duties were decreased while tax rates for small and medium-sized enterprises went up. The dollar exchange rate to Ukrainian grivna fell. All the above has a significant negative impact on the Ukrainian economy. The population's living standards are undoubtedly affected. Pay raises and increased pensions paid by the Tymoshenko government can not cover the cost of basic foods and services due to consumer-price inflation.

Somebody had better put an end to that first one hundred days of confusion without delay. Otherwise successors to this regime are likely to have solid foundations for building another election campaign while putting all the blame on their predecessors.

One can only guess what steps would be taken next by the Ukrainian revolutionaries after a start like that.

[A. Pole]

Orange bump!

[Monterrosa-24]

Pravda's usual dose of fiction.

[xcamel]

Seems the anti-democracy moonbats in the Ukraine have learn their lessons well from the "scandal-a-day" american DeamonRats. IMHO: Victor Yushchenko will survive and thrive once he learns to limit (quash) the anklebiter commies and Marxists

[Grzegorz 246]

Pravda ? Gówno prawda.

[Kozak]

As the old saying goes "There is no Truth in Pravda".

[A. Pole]

Pravda ? Gówno prawda.

Just wait until Yushchenko and pretty Yulia are overthrown by the next "democratic" revolution. Like Shevardnadze was.

[Lukasz]

If you agree with Pravda, Russian communist tabloid about Ukraine then maybe you also will agree with them when they are writing about Bush and US in general?

[Grzegorz 246]

Hey, there are much more interesting articles !

"Man steals rubber doll and lingerie from Moscow's sex shop"

A 45-year-old male Muscovite has recently perpetrated quite an unusual felony. Apparently, the man could not handle the storm of hormones in his body in the beginning of the spring season and stole a rubber doll from a Moscow sex shop, the press service of the city's Internal Affairs administration said.

http://funreports.com/2005/04/29/59498.html

[Grzegorz 246]

Russian former prime ministers involved in online porn

Most outstanding men of the Russian political elite have recently found themselves involved in the porn industry. Three former Russian prime ministers - Mikhail Kasyanov, Sergei Stepashin and Viktor Chernomyrdin, as well as incumbent Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov - were involved in the production of the online pornography, the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper wrote.

http://funreports.com/2005/04/19/59248.html

[Grzegorz 246]

Russians conquered Mars 30 years ago

http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/379/11903_space.html

[A. Pole]

If you agree with Pravda ...

I just posted an article and you, instead of addressing the content, get antsy and jump all over.

Maybe something in this text made you uncomfortable?

[Grzegorz 246]

We are Russo phobic ?

[Grzegorz 246]

Football club owner wants to become Jesus Christ


http://funreports.com/2005/05/04/59581.html

[Lukasz]

I know your views good enough. Your anti-Ukrainian bias in far over the top and your tagline only proofs that I’m right.

[GSlob]

"Maybe something in this text made you uncomfortable?"
The source. Supermarket tabloids proclaiming that clinton is a space alien are more credible.

[A. Pole]

Supermarket tabloids proclaiming that clinton is a space alien are more credible.

I want the link!

[jb6]

ping

[DTA]

>>>>Pravda ? Gówno prawda.<<<

This Pravda has nothing with old commie Pravda nor with communists.It is marketing ploy, like Prada.

In old times, there was a saying : there is no pravda in Izvestya and no izvestiya in Pravda.

Today, we could say there is more pravda in Pravda then in NYT.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Pravda defends Russian oligarchs. What a surprise.