INSIDE: • Is Ukraine headed for a one-party system? – page 3. • Scholar takes issue with Yanukovych re: Holodomor – page 4. • Chicago Plast members recall tragedy of 1960 – page 5. THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVIII No. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010 $1/$2 in Ukraine Fourth Ukrainian Cultural Festival attracts Ukrainian diaspora’s dilemma: thousands to Soyuzivka Heritage Center how to deal with Yanukovych by Zenon Zawada tion we should take, and how we should Kyiv Press Bureau do it,” said Stefan Romaniw, the general secretary of the Ukrainian World Congress KYIV – Ukrainians welcomed the dias- (UWC). pora with open arms upon gaining inde- A consensus has yet to be reached on pendence in 1991, enabling long-awaited how to deal with Mr. Yanukovych, whose family reunions, transfers of humanitarian bulldozer approach in re-orienting Ukraine aid, cultural exchanges and business towards Russia has already done damage opportunities, some more successful than to the policies, programs and institutions others. championed by the organized diaspora for The organized diaspora’s role in nearly two decades. Ukrainian life reached its apex during the Diaspora leaders have always had to presidency of Viktor Yushchenko, whose deal with Ukrainian leaders who didn’t wife, Kateryna, is American-born. Leaders worked with top government officials on (Continued on page 16) unprecedented cultural and historical projects that reached an interna- tional scope. Yet, with the election of President Viktor Christine Syzonenko Yanukovych and the Haydamaky – Kozak System on stage at Soyuzivka. implementation of his authoritarian and pro- by Matthew Dubas tunes and a fiery Czardasz that captivated Russian policies, the the audience. Later, Messrs. Zhmud and KERHONKSON, N.Y. – Thousands organized diaspora lead- Podebinski combined with soprano ership is at a crossroads, gathered here at the Soyuzivka Ukrainian Lyudmyla Fesenko for a few numbers that Heritage Center on July 16-18 for the fourth trying to determine how demonstrated their improvisational abilities. to deal with a govern- annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival. The fes- Baritone Oleh Chmyr wove a rich vocal tival featured the first U.S. concert of the ment that is hostile to its tapestry in his “Nich Yaka Misyachna” (The dynamic Haydamaky of Ukraine, who head- political and cultural Moonlit Evening) and interspersed his act lined the Saturday evening stage program. values, as well as trying Zenon Zawada with humorous anecdotes, followed by Friday’s stage program was opened with to re-assess its role in “Mav Ya Raz Divchynonku” (I Once Had a Ukrainian World Congress President Eugene Czolij the singing of the national anthems and the Ukrainian society. Girl) and “Toreador” from the opera (left) of Montreal and General Secretary Stefan traditional welcome dance, “Pryvit,” mas- “We are having many “Carmen.” Later he sang the Ukrainian Romaniw of Melbourne, Australia, are deciding in what terfully executed by the Roma Pryma conversations with a lot direction to lead the diaspora in its relations with the Bohachevsky Dance Workshop, under the (Continued on page 13) of people on the direc- Ukrainian government and society. direction of Ania Bohachevky-Lonkevych. The dance workshop, which has been instructing dancers for more than 30 years, calls Soyuzivka its home. Ukraine’s new envoy to U.S. meets with community leaders Dances from various regions of Ukraine, including Lemkivshchyna, Bukovyna and by Yaro Bihun Hutsulschyna as well as dances inspired by Special to The Ukrainian Weekly the Romani (Gypsy) people were included in their routine. Many of the regional dances WASHINGTON – Less than three weeks were choreographed by workshop instruc- after taking over as Ukraine’s new ambassa- tors, including Orlando Pagan, lead instruc- dor to the United States, Ambassador tor, Lev Iwashko and Stefan Calka. Olexander Motsyk met with representatives Soprano Lyudmyla Fesenko showed off of leading Ukrainian American organiza- her abilities with a performance of “La tions to discuss recent developments in Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi, the Ukrainian Ukraine, the diaspora’s concerns about folk tune “Hlyboka Krynytsia” (The Well is them, and how best to further improve their Deep), and an a capella version of “Ave cooperative relationship between Ukraine’s Maria.” leaders and Ukrainians abroad. A few workshop dancers, Mr. Pagan, The meeting was held at the Embassy on Sophia Panych and Ksenia Hentisz, com- July 16. As the ambassador pointed out, it bined with violinist Inessa Tymochko- was the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s Dekajlo, an EMI recording artist from Declaration on State Sovereignty – the first Ukraine, on “Oy Marichko Chycheri.” The document to outline the country’s direction dance featured a modern twist and was cho- in building an independent future – some- Yaro Bihun reographed by Mr. Pagan. Ms. Tymochko- thing Ukrainians had been striving for more Dekajlo followed the dance with a solo ver- than a millennium. And he conveyed Ukraine’s new ambassador to the United States, Olexandr Motsyk, explains some sion of “Verkhovyno.” Ukraine’s gratitude to the Ukrainian of his government’s recent decisions that have caused some concern in the Ms. Tymochko-Dekajlo also combined American community for its contribution to Ukrainian American community, during his first meeting with their community with violinist Valerij Zhmud and guitarist representatives, among them (from left): Deacon Theophil Staruch, Dr. Leo Serhii Podebinski on a few Ukrainian folk (Continued on page 9) Rudnytzky, Bohdana Urbanovych and Michael Sawkiw Jr. 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010 No. 30 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Two votes reveal Yanukovych’s Yanukovych on state sovereignty Bekeshkina told a press conference. The most serious threats to the state, to which KYIV – Ukraine took a decisive step over half of the experts polled pointed, blasé attitude on national security towards independence by adopting the are based on the refusal of the Ukrainian by Taras Kuzio proper discussion or process. The opinions Declaration on State Sovereignty of government to pursue independent policy, Ukraine 20 years ago, President Viktor Jamestown Foundation Blog of three parliamentary committees that deal its submission to the interests of other with national security and foreign policy Yanukovych said on July 16. “It was not states, energy dependence, loss of nation- On April 27 the Ukrainian Parliament were ignored. Moreover, 420 proposed an easy decision, because mentally most al identity, cultural and ideological sub- voted (with 236 votes in favor) to extend the changes by the opposition were ignored dur- of the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of mission of the country to the culture of Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol. On July ing the July 1 vote. then-Soviet Ukraine were still thinking other states, as well as an economic 1 the Parliament voted (259 votes) for a new The flouting of the Constitution of within the categories of political reality recession and loss of the economic com- law on the “Fundamentals of Domestic and Ukraine and the country’s legislative body of the time. And finally they voted for a petitiveness. Among others threats to Foreign Policy.” made a mockery of President Viktor document that essentially opened a new state sovereignty the experts cited sepa- On both occasions the votes appeared Yanukovych’s claims that the rule of law is page in the history of Ukraine,” the head ratist movements affecting certain territo- fraudulent. In the former, only 211 deputies one of the top priorities for his administra- of state emphasized. Twenty years ago, ries of Ukraine, the transformation of were registered to vote, while in the latter tion. Mr. Yanukovych said, the Ukrainian peo- Ukraine into a buffer zone and the deep- only 50 were eligible (a minimum of 226 The Stability and Reforms Coalition is ple and, at the same time, the internation- ening of the split between Ukraine’s west are needed to pass a vote, while a quorum of itself unconstitutional, based on the 2008 al community were given a clear signal and east. There are also such threats as 300 deputies is required). Rinat Akhmetov, Constitutional Court ruling that only permits about which way Ukraine would go in financial dependence, accumulation of an oligarch from Donetsk, voted on both factions to establish coalitions. The coalition the future. Nobody could predict back serious state debts, loss of military capa- occasions, but has never attended a parlia- includes three factions (the Party of then how difficult and controversial this bility, instability of the national currency, mentary session since his election and Regions, the Lytvyn Bloc and the progress would be. Many mistakes were dependence of strategic enterprises on swearing-in ceremony in October of 2007. Communist Party) that together have only made, much effort put into fruitless con- foreign capital and the spread of interna- Would these parliamentary voting irregu- 220 deputies. frontation between different political tional terrorism to Ukraine’s territory. larities be a reason to cancel the votes? Votes by the coalition are adopted with camps. “But perhaps it was our fate to (Ukrinform) Deputies in the Stability and Reforms the addition of individual defectors from follow this road of hopes and disappoint- Coalition think not. National Deputy Serhiy opposition factions. According to a wide ments to the end. Therefore, I believe we Kravchuk: Rada must regain authority Hrynevetsky of the Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc should neither exaggerate nor diminish variety of sources, these defectors have been KYIV – Former President Leonid told Channel 5 that proxy voting was not an the significance of these 20 years,” Mr. bribed with sums of over $1 million to Kravchuk, who attended a solemn meet- issue because “this had become a tradition Yanukovych stressed, adding that the switch parties. ing of the Verkhovna Rada on the occa- in the Ukrainian Parliament.