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January/February 2001
The current political situation in Ukraine
Kiev, Ukraine-The current political situation in Ukraine is characterized
by sharp fighting between two bourgeois clans: that of President Leonid
Kuchma and oligarchical Ukrainian monopolists (Alexander Volkov, Grigoriy
Surkis, Viktor Pinchuk and so on) vs. Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko, who
represents the interests of American monopolies and their satellites-the
IMF/WTO and NATO. It is very important to present for workers and youth a
Marxist analysis of these events.
The victory of bourgeois President Leonid Kuchma in the elections of
November 1999 clearly demonstrated the weakness of the so-called left camp
in Ukraine. Post-Stalinist presidential candidate Petro Simonenko (of the
Communist Party of Ukraine, CPU) was unable to unite wide masses of workers
and youth in the struggle against the capitalist system. Ukrainian workers
correctly don't believe Simonenko's slogan that the Soviet Union was a
socialist society. Memories of the gulag, the KGB, Stalinist repressions
and the non-effective bureaucratic pseudo-planned economy under the old
regime is too fresh in their minds.
Various kinds of Social-Democrats-such as Alexander Moroz (Socialist Party
of Ukraine, SPU) and Vasyl Onopenko (Ukrainian Social-Democratic Party,
USDP) as well as leaders of the radical populists like Natallya Vitrenko
(Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, PSPU)-also weren't supported by
the Ukrainian people. As a result of this defeat we encountered the full
disintegration and stagnation of the traditional "left" parties.
DIVISIONS IN RULING CLASS
The privatization policy pushed by President Kuchma has been profitable
first of all for Russian monopolies. The largest Ukrainian industrial
enterprises were owned by Russian monopolies. Western investors weren't
permitted to participate in privatization auctions. This has also proved
profitable for Ukrainian oligarchic bourgeois groups.
These groups made billions in the oil, gas and transportation sectors. In
this way Russian and Ukrainian monopolies became business allies.
Naturally, Western transnational corporations weren't satisfied with this
situation. So they succeeded in getting their man-Viktor Yuschenko-to
become prime minister. It was the IMF's condition for paying off the latest
debt for Ukraine. However, President Kuchma still governs such key
ministries as defense, police, and the secret service (formerly run by the
KGB).
Yuschenko, now the prime minister, is seen by many as the main candidate
for the next president. Local oligarchs and the administration of President
Kuchma have their own candidate-Viktor Medvedchuk, vice-speaker of
Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament.
Yuschenko's clan began their attacks on Kuchma by accusing him of being
involved in the disappearance of Georgiy Gongadze, a famous Internet
journalist. They then entered into unexpected agreements with the SPU (led
by Moroz), CPU (led by Simonenko), and Ukrainian ultra-fascists from
UNA-UNSO (whose leader is Andriy Schkil) and Schit Batkivschiny (Shield of
Motherland Party, led by D. Korchinskiy).
The reformists behind Yuschenko have refused to conduct a class analysis of
this political camp. They think their main task is to overthrow Kuchma. In
this way the reformists have refused to organize a workers' alternative.
DUALITIES IN THE LEFT
The leaders of the SPU and CPU do not permit members of their parties to
use red flags and banners in protest actions. The SPU participates in such
actions under the official Ukrainian bourgeois blue-yellow flags. Another
reformist party-the PSPU, led by Vitrenko and Volodymyr Marchenko-oppose
the CPU and SPU and refuse to join in any actions which they are part of,
including work with the masses.
Our organization, Ukrainian Workers Group, is the only revolutionary
communist group which offers the masses a proletarian alternative. We take
part in mass meetings and demonstrations with our own materials and
banners. We offer to sharply oppose both bourgeois clans and develop our
own proletarian program. Our leaflets also include material about Raya
Dunayevskaya's heritage, her theory of the nature of the former Soviet
Union and the theory of Marxist humanism. We also include information about
News and Letters Committees, which stands on clear Marxist positions.
-Vadym Yevtushok
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