The Ukrainian Weekly 1995
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INSIDE: • Chornobyl shutdown still plagued by money issue — page 2. • Ambassadors speak on development of U.S.-Ukraine relations — page 3. • Ukraine's Olympians on the road to Atlanta 1996 — centerfold. THE UKRAINIAN WE Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIII No. 46 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1995 $1.2542 in Ukraine 383 candidates vie for 45 seats CBS admits it never responded in parliamentary by-elections to complaints about broadcast by Marta Kolomayets On this list, 190 candidates do not by Roman Woronowycz answered an allegation that CBS makes Kyiv Press Bureau belong to any party; the Communist in its opposition to the Serafyn/UCCA Party had the most candidates with 34 JERSEY CITY, N.J. — After twice petition that there is "clearly an escalat KYIV - A total of 383 candidates will registered, followed by the Peasant changing its stance, CBS now has admit ing campaign of harassment against CBS vie for 45 seats in the Ukrainian parlia Democratic Party with 13. The Socialist ted that it never responded to any letters by certain Ukrainian American organiza mentary by-elections on December 10, Party has registered 10 candidates. sent by viewers complaining about the tions and individuals." reported the Central Electoral Of the national democratic forces, broadcast of the "60 Minutes" segment He told The Weekly: "Who's harass Commission of Ukraine on November 4. Rukh leads the list with 10 registered "The Ugly Face of Freedom." ing whom here? We haven't called them The deadline for candidates to register candidates, followed by the Democratic In a reply to a petition submitted by genetically anti-Semitic." was November 2, and at press time, the Party with six and the Republican Party attorney Arthur Belendiuk on behalf of The current controversy developed Central Electoral Commission had with four. Alexander Serafyn and the Ukrainian when the Ukrainian American Community reviewed the documents of 302 candi Among other parties that have regis Congress Committee of America charg Network filed a complaint with the Federal dates. tered candidates are: the Social ing the network with fraud and misrepre Communications Commission against Democratic Party, the Slavic Unity sentation, CBS said human error was CBS affiliate WUSA-TV of Washington Party, five candidates each; the Civic responsible for the company's failure to after the group could find no letters of Congress of Ukraine and the Inter- mail responses, which earlier it had said complaint on record at the local TV sta October Revolution Regional Reform Bloc, four each; the were sent. tion. Those letters were sent by Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, the Both Mr. Serafyn and the UCCA had Washingto- area Ukrainian Americans revered, reviled Labor Congress of Ukraine, two candi previously filed actions against CBS for angry over the CBS affiliate's broadcast of dates each; and the Liberal Party, the its errant broadcast of the now infamous "The Ugly Face of Freedom." WUSA-TV Economic Revival of the Crimea Party, distortion of Ukrainian-Jewish relations. told the Ukrainian group that all the letters at Kyiv meetings the Green Party and the Democratic Initially the network had maintained it received had been sent to CBS headquar Youth Union, one candidate each. that responses were sent to all com ters, as was customary. by Marta Kolomayets Most of the candidates were registered plainants, then changed the figure to 25 Then Ray Faiola, director of audience Kyiv Press Bureau by groups of voters and workers' collec percent of those who wrote, after pressure services for CBS, informed WUSA that was brought to bear by Ukrainian KYIV - Parliament Chairman and tives. the letters in question could not be The 450-seat Ukrainian Parliament American organizations. Now it acknowl retrieved because they had been sent to Socialist Party leader Oleksander Moroz edges that responses were never sent. asked the citizens of Ukraine to look for has had 45 vacancies since last long-term storage, but stated that those November. Due to low voter turn-out Attorney Belendiuk said the veracity who had written CBS or its affiliates were issues that unite them, and not experiences of all that CBS has said must be ques that divide them, as he addressed a and the high cost of running by-elec sent form letters in response, and included tions, the Supreme Council issued a tioned. "They are changing the facts to fit November 7 meeting celebrating the 78th what they cannot prove," he said. He also (Continued on page 18) anniversary of the October Revolution, and moratorium on parliamentary elections then made his way to another gathering that earlier this year. The process, which condemned decades of Bolshevik terrorism. began in March 1994, had voters coming For tens of years, November 7, glorify out to the polls every few months, unable ing the Bolshevik coup of 1917, was to get either 50 percent voter turnout or Feature film to highlight page grandly celebrated as a "holiday of the to elect a candidate with 50 percent of masses." However, since the break-up of the vote. of Ukrainian nationalist history the Soviet Union, Ukrainian national- This is once again a danger in democrats have labeled it a "dark page in December as there are anywhere from Ukrainian Congress Committee of America ganda, portraying Bandera and his fol the Ukrainian book of history," commem seven to nine candidates running in each NEW YORK - On November 11 in lowers as hooligans and Nazi sympa orating it with meetings in memory of the one of the 45 districts. Thus, it is highly Kyiv, one of the Soviet era's most thizers. In reality, Bandera was him hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian vic unlikely that any one candidate will get fiercely guarded historical secrets was self imprisoned in a Nazi concentra 50 percent of the vote needed to win a tims of Bolshevik-Communist rule. to be illuminated, with the premier of tion camp, and the Ukrainian Nonetheless, November 7 is still regis seat on the first ballot. This means that, Insurgent Army waged an armed in most districts, there are likely to be a feature film on the post-war struggle tered as an official holiday in Ukraine. This of the anti-Soviet Ukrainian Insurgent struggle against both the Nazis and the year, the two groups of marchers were kept run-offs. Soviets simultaneously, a feat of hero Kyiv City, which has 23 electoral dis Army and the assassination of blocks apart by the city administration to Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan ism not duplicated or attempted by the avoid any potential conflict between the tricts in all, still has 17 seats to fill. Voter Allied forces. apathy runs high in the capital, therefore, Bandera. national democrats who live for the future The film, "Assassination," directed The premier of "Assassination" will it is unlikely that the capital will be fully mark the second feature film of the of an independent, democratic and prosper by one of Ukraine's leading film direc represented in this Parliament by the end director that documents the tyranny of ous Ukraine, and Communists-Socialists, tors, Oles Yanchuk, is a fictional of the year. the Soviet state. Mr. Yanchuk's first who long for the days of the Soviet empire recounting of the events leading up to Among those seeking office in the by- film, the award-winning "Famine-33," and powerful leaders who ruled over them. the assassination of Bandera by a Soviet Last year there were some tense elections are Prime Minister Yevhen a searing docu-drama on the Stalinist Marchuk (Myrhorod, Poltava region), KGB agent in Munich, West Germany, terror-famine of 1933, was shown on moments as both groups met at the inter in 1959. The film's premier is sched section of the Khreshchatyk, Kyiv's main who is expected to win in the first round. nationwide television in Ukraine on In Kyiv City such candidates as uled for 5 p.m. on November 11 at the the eve of the Ukrainian independence thoroughfare, and Taras Shevchenko Cinema House Red Hall, Kyiv. Boulevard, and several minor altercations Vechirniy Kyiv newspaper editor Vitaliy referendum, and is widely believed to Itself an event fraught with national ensued. Karpenko, actress Nina Kriukova, have contributed to the referendum's symbolism in Ukraine, the film's pre Close to 5,000 Communists and Ukrrichflot President Mykola Slavov and overwhelming popular approval. Socialists battled inclement weather to U.S. expatriate Roman Zvarych are seek mier is expected to begin the popular "Assassination" was co-produced march from Glory Park to Lenin ing office. ization of a topic long held taboo, and and financed by the Ukrainian Congress Komsomol Square - a distance of approxi Elections for the seat in the Volyn open a national debate on Ukrainian Committee of America (UCCA). The mately three kilometers - to celebrate the region left vacant due to the tragic death historical identity in the post-Soviet era. UCCA is recognized in Ukraine for its 78th anniversary of the October of Vasyl Korneliuk, a 39-year-old deputy For four decades following World innovative television ad campaign for Revolution. They waved the flags of a killed in a car accident last month, will War II, the Soviet government cloaked fair elections and free market reforms bygone era, including the flag of the be held on February 4 of next year, the Ukrainian independence struggle reported the Central Electoral Commis behind an impenetrable veil of propa (Continued on page 20) (Continued on page 17) sion. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1995 No. 46 Money, once again, is subject of coritroversy over Chornobyl Kuchma shaken by Rabin 9s murder the crackdown on Lithuanian indepen shutting down the plant," explained Mr.