The Guardian: Kuchmagate
02/27/2001 | Broker
Kuchmagate: Ukraine's president is accused of ordering murder and intimidation, yet the west is not keen to comment
Jonathan Steele
The Guardian - United Kingdom; Feb 27, 2001
The Watergate tapes which brought down Richard Nixon look pretty harmless compared to the extraordinary revelations of the way that the current head of state of one of Europe's largest countries talked, and perhaps still talks, behind closed doors. Ordering the kidnapping and murder of a crusading journalist, threatening local officials with prison if they failed to produce enough votes in the presidential election and condoning a grenade attack on a political opponent - it is all there on tapes which were secretly made by a former member of the president's security staff who hid listening devices in the furniture.
This incredible bug-in-the-sofa saga has led to Ukraine's biggest political crisis in the decade since independence. Yet equally remarkably the disclosure of President Leonid Kuchma's undemocratic governing style has produced almost no comment in western capitals. Ukraine's neighbour, Belarus, is small and unstrategic so its autocratic president is regularly lambasted by western governments. It now appears that Ukraine's ruler is no better, but the west holds its tongue.
It may be argued that the tapes are not authentic, as Mr Kuchma and his staff initially tried to suggest. But that looked untenable after Mykola Melnychenko, the man who recorded them (and is now in hiding abroad, fearing for his life) passed them to a respected Dutch voice-recognition laboratory which vouchsafed that they were genuine. The tapes are now lodged with the International Press Institute in Vienna. Ukraine's prosecutor-general, a friend of the president, recently conceded that the voice on the tapes was indeed that of Mr Kuchma, but he claimed that they had been spliced together with words reorganised. The Dutch laboratory says that there is no evidence of tampering.
Shocking though the tapes are, they should not really surprise. They are merely the most grotesque example of Ukraine's flawed democratisation. In some ways Kuchma has merely repeated the excesses of the Yeltsin era in Russia, only more so. Privatisation of the large state enterprises was first delayed, then rushed through on the basis of crony deals and without public accountability. Excessive power was concentrated in the president's hands and parliament was emasculated so that it could offer no check on the executive. The state-owned television channels were kept under strict control, and ordered not to provide fair or impartial coverage of the government's critics. As for the independent press, whenever it has dared to criticise the government, it has been sued. The absurd amount the government is demanding in compensation now totals three times the national budget.
In protest at this legacy, Ukraine's opposition politicians have joined together in the most broad-based coalition the country has seen. Known as the National Salvation Forum, it brings together rightwing pro-western nationalists from the Ruch movement as well as the postcommunist socialists. 'Put an end to this criminal regime, reinforce truth and the rule of law and bring Ukraine back on the road to European development", they say in their opening manifesto.
Thousands of demonstrators have been protesting in the streets of Kiev, demanding Kuchma's resignation. Yet, far from learning his lesson, the Ukrainian president is behaving just as he did when he was being secretly bugged. State TV denounces the protests without giving air time to their leaders. Four days after joining the Salvation Forum, a leading former minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, was rewarded with imprisonment. Although she was charged with corruption, suspicions about her were strong throughout the time she served Kuchma. It is odd that charges should only be made when she changed sides.
Western silence over this catalogue of misrule appears to be motivated by two things. One is the notion that Kuchma is the best hope for 'market reform". The other is fear that criticism will 'drive Ukraine back into Moscow's arms". President Putin has been exploiting Kuchma's weakness by offering him fulsome support as well as pressing him to implement recently signed agreements on gas, electricity and foreign investment which will give Russians a greater stake in the Ukrainian economy. But the cold war is over and old-style western thinking that anything which is good for Russia is bad for the west should have been abandoned long ago.
The real issue is the growth of democracy. At the back of it all is a resurgence of the old problem of Nato's expansion to the east. The Bush administration is likely to revive the issue in the coming months even though wiser heads have begun to see that bringing in further new members will add nothing to Nato while risking a deeper division of Europe.
Ukraine is not on the list of candidates but it has become a lynchpin. Are western governments willing to understand that a process of democratisation provides better security than weapons sales or putting flags on a map to denote which countries 'belong to us" and which are linked to 'the bear"?
Jonathan Steele
The Guardian - United Kingdom; Feb 27, 2001
The Watergate tapes which brought down Richard Nixon look pretty harmless compared to the extraordinary revelations of the way that the current head of state of one of Europe's largest countries talked, and perhaps still talks, behind closed doors. Ordering the kidnapping and murder of a crusading journalist, threatening local officials with prison if they failed to produce enough votes in the presidential election and condoning a grenade attack on a political opponent - it is all there on tapes which were secretly made by a former member of the president's security staff who hid listening devices in the furniture.
This incredible bug-in-the-sofa saga has led to Ukraine's biggest political crisis in the decade since independence. Yet equally remarkably the disclosure of President Leonid Kuchma's undemocratic governing style has produced almost no comment in western capitals. Ukraine's neighbour, Belarus, is small and unstrategic so its autocratic president is regularly lambasted by western governments. It now appears that Ukraine's ruler is no better, but the west holds its tongue.
It may be argued that the tapes are not authentic, as Mr Kuchma and his staff initially tried to suggest. But that looked untenable after Mykola Melnychenko, the man who recorded them (and is now in hiding abroad, fearing for his life) passed them to a respected Dutch voice-recognition laboratory which vouchsafed that they were genuine. The tapes are now lodged with the International Press Institute in Vienna. Ukraine's prosecutor-general, a friend of the president, recently conceded that the voice on the tapes was indeed that of Mr Kuchma, but he claimed that they had been spliced together with words reorganised. The Dutch laboratory says that there is no evidence of tampering.
Shocking though the tapes are, they should not really surprise. They are merely the most grotesque example of Ukraine's flawed democratisation. In some ways Kuchma has merely repeated the excesses of the Yeltsin era in Russia, only more so. Privatisation of the large state enterprises was first delayed, then rushed through on the basis of crony deals and without public accountability. Excessive power was concentrated in the president's hands and parliament was emasculated so that it could offer no check on the executive. The state-owned television channels were kept under strict control, and ordered not to provide fair or impartial coverage of the government's critics. As for the independent press, whenever it has dared to criticise the government, it has been sued. The absurd amount the government is demanding in compensation now totals three times the national budget.
In protest at this legacy, Ukraine's opposition politicians have joined together in the most broad-based coalition the country has seen. Known as the National Salvation Forum, it brings together rightwing pro-western nationalists from the Ruch movement as well as the postcommunist socialists. 'Put an end to this criminal regime, reinforce truth and the rule of law and bring Ukraine back on the road to European development", they say in their opening manifesto.
Thousands of demonstrators have been protesting in the streets of Kiev, demanding Kuchma's resignation. Yet, far from learning his lesson, the Ukrainian president is behaving just as he did when he was being secretly bugged. State TV denounces the protests without giving air time to their leaders. Four days after joining the Salvation Forum, a leading former minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, was rewarded with imprisonment. Although she was charged with corruption, suspicions about her were strong throughout the time she served Kuchma. It is odd that charges should only be made when she changed sides.
Western silence over this catalogue of misrule appears to be motivated by two things. One is the notion that Kuchma is the best hope for 'market reform". The other is fear that criticism will 'drive Ukraine back into Moscow's arms". President Putin has been exploiting Kuchma's weakness by offering him fulsome support as well as pressing him to implement recently signed agreements on gas, electricity and foreign investment which will give Russians a greater stake in the Ukrainian economy. But the cold war is over and old-style western thinking that anything which is good for Russia is bad for the west should have been abandoned long ago.
The real issue is the growth of democracy. At the back of it all is a resurgence of the old problem of Nato's expansion to the east. The Bush administration is likely to revive the issue in the coming months even though wiser heads have begun to see that bringing in further new members will add nothing to Nato while risking a deeper division of Europe.
Ukraine is not on the list of candidates but it has become a lynchpin. Are western governments willing to understand that a process of democratisation provides better security than weapons sales or putting flags on a map to denote which countries 'belong to us" and which are linked to 'the bear"?
Відповіді
2001.02.27 | Пані
Re: The Guardian: Kuchmagate
Думаю, что комментировать начнут. Сразу после обнародования экспертизы Фридом Хайус.Пока что все идет так, как мы и предполагали неделю назад.
Предполагаю также скорое появление темы торговли оружием "налево" и контрабанды наркотиков. Нмаеки уже были, теперь они будут озвучены и на западе.
2001.02.27 | ilia25
Ну наконец-то!
Наконец-то на Западе начали появляться статьи, в которых вещи называют своими именами.А то это СиЭнЭновское "нейтральное" цитирование сторон уже достало. К кому они пытаются оставаться нейтральными -- к преступным диктаторам?
2001.02.27 | Eagle
Re: Ну наконец-то!
Of course the CNN could be more active, but they seem to be way to obsessed with maintaining their image and that's why they've tried to be careful. Nevertheless, the've been continuously covering the events in Ukraine - this is already not that bad.One more important thing is that now the position of the "enemy of the democracy #1"
in the Western world is vacant - everyone is already quite used to Sadam, Milocevic was defeated a year ago - so now our dictator seems to be taking the lead.
His stupid soviet-style strategy of not noticing the opposition will destroy him and his system in the long run - it's a pity that his intellectual abilities do not enable him to understand this.
Additionally, western leaders do know everything about the scandal, so as soon as they speak up, the medial will also cover the events differently.
One more thing about the CNN - log on to www.cnn.com and serach for "Ukraine" - you will find at least an article a day - 6 weeks ago I was happy if I could find one article per week.
Everything is not that bad with the western media!
2001.02.27 | Пані
enemy of the democracy #1
Если мои предположения оправдаются и Кучма и Ко таки прторговывали оружием "налево" (в Африку, Азию, террористам) то статус enemy of the democracy #1 ему уже обеспечен. И будет озвучен в течение ближайшего месяца.И что интересно - сосед Вова защищать его не кинется, так как это грозит обвинениями в соучастии.
2001.02.27 | SpokusXalepniy
Я вот что подумал
Почему-то проскользнула ужасная мысль (холодный пот, бледность лица и т.д).Вот она:
Чем справедливей будет суд, тем меньше Кучма будет сидеть в тюрьме. Возможно, даже, и совсем не отсидит.
Как вы думаете, почему?
Это вопрос на засыпку.
2001.02.27 | Адвокат ...
Re: Я вот что подумал
Кучмі "вистачить" і двох тижнів у КПУ ( рос.-- КПЗ). Для істоти, якою він є, цього вистачить, щоб
впасть в тоску назавжди. Якщо спиратися на
дані Мельниченка, то "гарантові" вже разів з п'ять
"довічне" передавало прівєт. Ну, може,
найсправедливійший суд усе зважить, і присудить
лише одне
2001.02.27 | SpokusXalepniy
Не, логика тут такая
SpokusXalepniy писав(ла):> Чем справедливей будет суд, тем меньше Кучма будет сидеть в тюрьме. Возможно, даже, и совсем не отсидит.
>
Вот что получается.
1) Кучму не надо будет помещать в КПЗ (как Юлю), т.к. по законам демократического общества с него можно взять подписку о невыезде. Действительно, мы ж не кучмисты, у нас нет формальных оснований не доверять действующему президенту.
2) На нем висит столько дел, что... вспомните о вчерашнем интервью Мельниченко - надо два-три месяца только чтобы внимательно изучить имеющиеся записи. А сколько надо потратить времени, чтобы опросить свидетелей, запросить нужные счета в банках, проанализировать и т.д. и т.п.
3) Если только на изучение записей нужно 2-3 месяца, то на раскрутку всего дела уйдет с десяток лет. Все это время Кучма, конечно, будет лишен выездов за границу, но это же не тюрьма.
4) К этому времени многие преступления за давностью совершения их - снимутся. По другим будет действовать амнистия и пр.
Причем, чем демократичней будет судебный процесс, тем дольше он будет происходить.
5) И, наконец, сам Кучма к этому времени будет в приличных годах. А там, и по состоянию здоровья...
Короче, как ни крути, а прав Кучма - демократия ему таки нужна! Больше, чем кому бы то в Украине.
2001.02.27 | SpokusXalepniy
ОПРОВЕРЖЕНИЕ
НАГЛАЯ ЛОЖЬПо просьбе президента мы
даем опровержение ранее
опубликованному.
Наше сообщение о том, что
гражданин Кучма Л.Д. был
насильно выслан из Украины,
не подтвердились.
Наоборот - с него была
взята подписка о невыезде.
_
* - по материалам ЛГ за конец 70-ых
2001.02.27 | Адвокат ...
Re: Не, логика тут такая
1). Демократія потрібна не тільки Кучмі.2). Згадайте ґнерала КҐБ Марчука, він що казав?
Треба взяти "надійний" епізод, незатягуючи справу
його розслідувати, передати справу до суду. В
результаті, "клієнт" -- у буцигарні, бодай на
два-три роки, що дає змогу приступитися до більш
складних для рослідування епізодів його злочинної
кар"єри. Тож і за умов демократії не слід забувати
ґенеральську мудрість, дарма, що він кучманоїд.
2001.02.27 | Broker
Re: Ну наконец-то!
Всі найголовніші газети в англомовному світі постійно друкують статті про кризу в Україні (New York Times, Washington Post, The Times, The Guardian, L.A. Times, The Globe & Mail, The Independent). A ще як додати Associated Press i Reuters, то не можна казати що Захід не звертає увагу.Повірьте, всі чекають на висновки експертизи аудіозаписів...
2001.02.27 | Eagle
Re: Ну наконец-то!
- not only in the English-speaking world - here in germany even some regional newapapers and TV channels have been covering the scandal2001.02.27 | SpokusXalepniy
А це бзДень
А ось фрагмент з відповідей Лавриновича стосовно акції УбК.Це з газети "День" за сьогодні
— Як ви оцінюєте дії тих людей, які виходять під гаслами «Україна без Кучми»?
— Що стосується їхніх інтересів, то вони очевидні: достроково припинити повноваження обраного Президента. Тут присутній момент невдоволення результатами не тільки останніх президентських виборів, а й, можливо, попередніх. Хоча при цьому є частина людей, які беруть участь у цих акціях через несправедливість, допущену різними посадовими особами, які належать до різних гілок влади. Не виключаю і таких мотивів, як відсутність, з їхньої точки зору, такого розподілу прав і можливостей різних органів державної влади, який сприяв би найбільш прозорій роботі цих органів і неможливості зловживання владою, у першу чергу йдеться про главу держави. Звичайно, є люди, які мають проблеми зі своїм бізнесом, зі стосунками із законом — їм необхідно захищати себе всіма доступними заходами. Якщо є доступним засіб політизувати свої проблеми і наголосити на проблемах загальносуспільних, то, зрозуміло, що вони використовують цю можливість.
Одна проститутка спрашивает другую...
2001.02.27 | Broker
Re: А це бзДень
Не розумію як він думає пройти на виборах. В Галичині йому за це не простять...