The Ukrainian Weekly 1998, No.1
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • An advance look at Ukraine’s parliamentary elections — page 2. • The Zarvanytsia shrine, St. Michael of the Golden Domes — page 8. • Our Christmas traditions live on — page 9. HE KRAINI A N EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXVI No. 1 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 1998 $1.25/$2 in Ukraine Peace Corps in Ukraine: Verkhovna Rada OKs 1998 budget five years of involvement thanks to cooperation with Cabinet by Roman Woronowycz Corps regulations direct that no one stay by Roman Woronowycz ing Vice Prime Minister Serhii Tyhypko, Kyiv Press Bureau in one spot for more than five years. Kyiv Press Bureau Finance Minister Ihor Mitiukov and Brendan Daly, the press director of Minister of the Economy Viktor Suslov, KYIV — When Jerry Dutkewych the Peace Corps in Washington, KYIV — Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada after each reading of the budget to iron out arrived here in November 1992 as the explained that the decision to renew Mr. endorsed the national budget for 1998 on differences and address issues raised by first country director of the Peace Corps Dutkewych’s contract was straightfor- December 30, 1997, dodging any possibili- the national deputies during their plenary in Ukraine, in charge of the first inter- ward. “We are pleased with the work he ty that once again a budget would not be in s e s s i o n s . governmental collaboration between has done. He has been very effective. He place as the fiscal year began. In the third and final reading, the budget Ukraine and the United States, he had an has begun a number of projects that we By voting for the budget, 240 to 45, the smoothly flew through Parliament. When American staff of three, a small, felt he could best complete,” said Mr. legislature avoided a repeat of 1997, when issues could not be resolved, such as a Ukrainian support staff, two telephones Daly. it could not approve a 1997 budget until the desire by the Cabinet of Ministers, for and a load of boxes. Roman Shpek, chairman of Ukraine’s middle of the fiscal year, which made it approval of a bill to revamp the corporate “We did have offices, but they were National Agency for Reconstruction and necessary to institute emergency budgets tax structure, an issue left over from the very primitive. Many of the staff were Development, while congratulating the based on expenditures from the previous great budget debacle of 1997, they tem- working on top of boxes, the furniture Peace Corps and Mr. Dutkewych on five year beginning on January 1. porarily shelved it. That bill and several hadn’t arrived yet. We had two tele- years’ work in Ukraine at a party thrown The big difference this year was that the others will be looked at in the several ses- phones and 50 volunteers in training,” in the organization’s honor at the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of sions that are still left before this said Mr. Dutkewych, a 49-year-old American Business Center in Kyiv on Ministers worked together and not against Verkhovna Rada completes its work and each other. The Verkhovna Rada budget Detroit native of Ukrainian descent. December 8, 1997, made the comment prepares for elections. committee, headed by National Deputy When the first group of 47 volunteers, that when even the president of the U.S. The 1998 budget authorizes outlays of Volodymyr Pustovoitovskyi, a member of who came to Ukraine in fulfillment of an is limited to two terms Mr. Dutkewych’s 21.1 billion hrv against revenues of 24.5 the Communist faction, met with represen- agreement signed by U.S. President billion hrv. The deficit of 3.4 billion hrv (Continued on page 3) tatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, includ- George Bush and Ukraine’s President comes to 3.3 percent of the GDP, which is Leonid Kravchuk, went into the field in close to the guidelines that the International February 1993 they had to deal with Monetary Fund requires that Ukraine meet Ukrainians who could not understand CHRIST IS BORN — GLORIFY H I M ! in order to receive additional IMF financial why well-educated, young Americans s u p p o r t . were doing volunteer work in this post- Ukraine is counting on foreign sources Soviet country, which a few short years of borrowing to the tune of 2.3 billion hrv, ago was considered a prime U.S. enemy. much of it promised IMF money, to help “In a humorous way we were often asked defray some of the deficit. The other 1.1 if we were here gathering intelligence,” billion hrv will be covered by internal explained Mr. Dutkewych. sources of borrowing. Less humorous were visits by mem- For the first time the Verkhovna Rada bers of the local militia after volunteers voted to include in the budget a list of had arrived in cities and towns to begin items that must be maintained as expen- their projects, who wanted to know the diture priorities, including wage pay- nature of the work the volunteers were to ments to government workers, purchases undertake. But those misunderstandings of adequate food supplies, medicine pur- were cleared up after more contact with chases and servicing interest on the local and state officials. “Today we don’t national debt. have those problems.” said Mr. Dutkewych. Now, after five years of developing the organization’s infrastructure, the Procurator general Peace Corps can be found in every oblast of Ukraine, and most people know what investigates Lazarenko it is that the group does. “I think one of our biggest successes is that Ukrainians by Roman Woronowycz know that Peace Corps volunteers are in Ukraine,” said Mr. Dutkewych. by Kyiv Press Bureau Today he works closely with many of KYIV — The business and personal Ukraine’s state organizations and min- dealings of Pavlo Lazarenko, the leading istries, including the National Agency critic of Ukraine’s President Leonid for Reconstruction and Development and Kuchma and a potential presidential can- the Ministry of Education, to expand and didate in the 1999 elections, are being deepen the Peace Corps’ involvement in investigated by Ukraine’s procurator gen- this country of 50.9 million. He has a eral as counter-charges fly that revelations volunteer group of 190 U.S. citizens of possible criminal wrongdoing are part working in 78 cities in all the oblasts of of a plan developed by the president’s Ukraine, who will be joined by 45 addi- administration to discredit the former tional volunteers in February to make the prime minister and his Hromada Party. Peace Corps-Ukraine the organization’s Acting Procurator General Oleh largest country project in the world. He Lytvak announced on December 26, has a support staff of 38, proper accom- 1997, that his department is investigat- modations and plenty of telephones. ing former Prime Minister Lazarenko on He also was renewed for a third term charges of unlawful use and concealment of assignment, the first time a country of currency earnings. The announcement director has been given a third tour; not an easy achievement given that Peace A Christmas card published by Molode Zhyttia featuring artwork by Edward Kozak. (Continued on page 7) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 1998 No. 1 ANALYSIS The Ukrainian parliamentary election campaign: Ukraine’s population continues to decline Antonov tests new aircraft parties aplenty, but how much democracy? KYIV — As a result of rising death KYIV — The Antonov Design rates and falling birth rates, the population Bureau’s new aircraft, the AN-70, is cur- of Ukraine declined by approximately rently being tested, the Antonov press ser- by Markian Bilynskyj commission’s composition. Being responsi- 400,000 people in 1997, the State Statistics vice reported on December 18, 1997. The ble, among other things, for approving party KYIV — The chairman of the newly Committee announced on December 26, AN-70 is to replace the AN-12, which lists, the lists of voter signatures and, most 1997. The country’s population now recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. constituted Central Electoral Commission critically, supervising and approving ballot (CEC) on November 14, 1997, announced stands at 50.48 million, down from 50.85 Experts expect it to go on being used until counting, the CEC will play a critical role million a year ago. (RFE/RL Newsline) 2005-2010. At present, 70 AN-12s are in the official start of the March 1998 parlia- not only in the forthcoming parliamentary mentary election campaign. In fact, the use in Ukraine and 700 around the world. elections but also in the 1999 presidential Kuchma responds to Council of Europe (Eastern Economist) campaign had begun in earnest much earli- elections. er. Some political parties had already held The list submitted by President Kuchma KYIV — In a letter to the president of Top business schools hold MBA fair their election-dominated party conferences for Verkhovna Rada approval contained the Parliamentary Assembly of the even before President Leonid Kuchma several nominees from the administration. Council of Europe, President Leonid KYIV — Three European MBA somewhat reluctantly signed the new elec- The president’s apparently blatant attempt Kuchma of Ukraine said he and his gov- schools, the London Business School and tion law on October 23. Together with the to pack the CEC was unacceptable to many ernment have done all they could to end the French INSEAD and Spanish IESE creation of the CEC this was the key pre- national deputies – and not just from the left the death penalty in Ukraine as they had held an MBA Fair on November 15, 1997, condition for the campaign’s formal com- – who were quick to claim that this was promised, but that the country’s at Ukraine House.