Democracy in Ukraine - Essay Example

1 Democracy "After more than three centuries of subjugation under Russian rule - first under the Czars and then under the communists - followed by a dozen years of independence under corrupt and autocratic rule, the Ukrainian people appear to be on the verge of a new era of freedom". (Zunes} One of the primary problems which new democracies have is where will they place their loyalties and priorities once the new democracy is in position to function. Will the new government delay the needs and promises made to satisfy the compromises and commitments it has made to its international benefactors and political supporters Stephen Zunes feels that such will not be the case with the Ukraine. "The insinuation that a democratic Ukraine would somehow be beholden to American interest, however, is ludicrous. The strong sense of nationalism resulting from centuries of subjugation by the Russian, Ottoman, Astro-Hungarian, Polish and Lithuanian empires - combined with the country's large industrial capacity and generous natural resources - is indicatative that a democratic Ukraine would be able to put its own national interest first" (Zunes) Democracy has been described as a very delicate proposition and its implementation must not only be espoused by the government, but by the populous must be committed to the practice and insist on human rights as well as transparency. Do the people of the Ukraine possess such a commitment and embody the vision needed to keep the delicate proposition in focus As Nick Paton, writing on the Ukrainian uprising for the British newspaper the Guardian, observed, "This protest is no longer about Russia's or America's candidate, but [is about] an end to the past 12 years of misrule. It is an 2 eruption of civil society whereby significant sectors of the Ukrainian population are, for the first time, realizing how they can one day have a government whose main interest is not stealing from the state coffers and protecting favored oligarchs, but actually representing the people who elected them. For most people, this is a first taste of real self- determination" (Paton) In other democracies (such as the United States) are the chances of voter fraud minimized by the old established checks and balances " the vote fraud in (circa 2004) November's Ukrainian election, which denied Yuschenko his victory, was no different than the vote fraud in the United States election that same month, which denied John Kerry his victory; in both cases, there was a major discrepancy between exit polls and the official count. The exit polls in the United States were off by less than 2%. This discrepancy can largely be explained by exit pollsters acknowledged over sampling of women voters, new rules that limit nonvoters proximity to polling places, and the apparent high level of interview cooperation by Kerry supporters than by Bush advocates. The difference between exit polls and the official count in the Ukraine, by contrast, was more than 14%, and considerable evidence suggests that the Kiev government tampered with the results. For example in the Donestk region, officials claimed that Yushchenko won by less than 3% of the vote. International observers, also reported widespread intimidation of election monitors, ballot stuffing, multiple voting, and government pressuring of voters" (Zunes). In the United States the concept of free and fair elections may in some situations be viewed only as the ideal, but the electorate and the candidates have a target to aim for, 3 and the gauge is ever present on just how far they may at any time be off of the mark. Though a comparison of voting fraud in the Ukraine with that of the United States, it does not follow that I condone the illegal acts perpetrated by the supporters of George W. Bush. It is incumbent upon the United States Justice Department to thoroughly investigate all of the suspicions and allegations of electoral misconduct. Even though an investigation might result in findings of impropriety in the Bush camp, these finding even if corrected in this specific instance, would not make a difference upon the outcomes in Florida, or Ohio. In spite of the many abuses which were perpetrated by the Bush team of tricksters, the American society is much more open than the Ukrain under the rule of President Kuchma. "In the United States citizen participation requirements, dictating that certain government decisions must include input from the public; and judicial review, providing courts the power to review the decisions and actions of public officials and agencies" ( Government). The Ukrainian media is state controlled and its primary thrust leading up to the election was the promotion of pro-government candidates. Once the government learned who the opposition candidates were, government controlled thugs went about the business of disrupting opposition campaign activity and were also engaged in act of violence. "Mykota Shkribliak, a leading opposition politician was murdered in 2002, and journalists who reported on corruption or criticized government policies were subjected to particularly serious harassment and violence. The judiciary in the Ukraine is notoriously inefficient and subject to corruption. It is clear that emerging or new 4 democracies are beset with a number of the same common problems. In Czechoslovakia, Petr Cibulka is a five time political prisoner and has done time in the toughest communist prison camps in Czechoslovakia repeatedly between 1979 and 1989, he was jailed and in 1979 he conducted a 31-day hunger strike. In 1991 Cibulka began publishing his paper, Uncensored News, which took a hard line opposition stand against the official information blockade organized by the communists through their "soft" control of the mass media. In 1992 Mr. Cibulka acquired and published data from secret police files, including the names of 200,000 communist spies and collaborators. In April 2005 Mr. Cibulka was interviewed concerning his experiences and perceptions about the current state of democracy in Czechoslovakia. One of the questions posed to him was; "We hear the Czech Republic is a democracy, but you have often explained that things are not so simple "we are being governed by the same political parties that were founded during the privatization coup of the KGB-GRU in 1989. Today, Czech citizens are so intimidated and scared that none dare testify in court and thereby incriminate our new leaders for political crimes. Election fraud is likely, and has doubtless been kept quite by the mainstream media which is still run by the former totalitarian elite. Much of the time it seems to me that we've never left the communist era because even though the labels have been changed the fundamental reality has not changed at all". (Cibulka) Due to the delicate nature of democracy, it is not always or immediately discernable. In other words the government continually espouses democratic principles, but their actions are filled with censor and control. In the United States, legal 5 accountability mechanisms such as a constitution, legislative acts, rules codes, and other legal instruments that proscribe actions that public officials can and cannot take and how citizens may take action against those officials whose conduct is considered unsatisfactory". (Government) Cibulka is queried on this exact point when asked; Because of the new and so-called pro-democracy revolutions in former Soviet Republics like Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, is it possible that these sabotage operations against the right bloc are part of a similar false democracy operation to install phony democratic representatives who are by no means genuine "Yes, I think you are right. The traditional communist strategy relies on a reliable political network of cadres, in this case "revolutionaries" who are already standing by in case the political leadership has to be changed. In this way the communists protect themselves during the transfer of political powerbecause the Czech Republics wealth has been embezzled and the country is in debt, the rulers expect some degree of social discontent, and that is why they are preparing these "revolutionary" cadres in advance today, so they will be able to transfer their political power to them. But the real power will still remain in their hands. Under present conditions it will always be communist cadres who get control of government. The criminal state of affairs can only be changed by transforming the country's values and state structures themselves". (Cibulka) "Free elections and political liberty do not guarantee a progressive government or a just society. However, without individual liberties and accountable government, building a just society becomes virtually impossible. Democracy affords a political opening where a democratic left stands a chance of challenging the excesses of national 6 and global capitalism; of empowering local communities; of openly defending the rights of women, minorities, and the poor; and of eventually gaining power" (Zunes) Free and fair elections allow people living in a representative democracy to determine the political make up and future policy direction of their nations government. Free and fair elections increase the likelihood of a peaceful transfer of power. They help ensure that losing candidates will accept the validity of the election's results and cede power to the new government. Elections alone do not assure democracy since dictators can use the resources of the state to tamper with the election process. Free and fair elections require: Universal suffrage for all eligible men and women to vote - democracies do not restrict this right from minorities, the disabled, or give it only to those who are literate or who own property. Freedom to register as a voter or run for public office. Freedom of speech for candidates or political parties from criticizing the performance of the incumbent. An impartial or balanced system of conducting elections and verifying election results - trained election officials must either be politically independent or those overseeing elections should be representative of the parties in an election. Accessible polling places, private voting space, secure ballot boxes, and transparent ballot counting. Secret ballots - voting by secret ballot ensures that an individuals choice of party or candidate cannot be used against him or her. Legal prohibitions against election fraud - enforceable laws must exist to prevent vote tampering". (Government) Opposition leader Victor Yushchenko, whose stolen presidential victory in November (circa 2004) prompted the (Ukraine) uprising is backed by elements linked to 7 the crooked cabal of business leaders who enriched themselves during the privatization of nationalized industries in the 1990's; Yuschenko himself served for a time as prime minister under the corrupt, outgoing president Leonid Kuchma. Yuschenko also has the backing of right wing ultra nationalists, particularly in the western part of the country, some of whom have ties with anti-Semitic elements and former nazi collaborators. Antipathy for the Country's pro-Russian political establishment runs deep in the Ukraine and spans the political spectrum. After the elections of 2004 were contested by the opposition, the people reached back and came up with resounding resolve; students protested, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens gathered to show their solidarity for the regime whom they felt had been cheated out of an opportunity to make the Ukraine and of course their individual lives better, the numbers were only partially in, but the consensus was ever-present, the people were no longer afraid of retributions from the government, they were concerned about dismantling the status quo. "Yushcenko urged his supporters to engage in a series of nationwide general strikes an "orange revolution", after his campaign color - with the intent of crippling the government and forcing Yanukovych to concede defeat. Hundreds of tents were erected in Kiev's Independent Square and the nearby Lenin Library was taken over to serve as the protesters headquarters. The protesters also blockaded the Council of Ministry in Kiev, paralyzing the government" (Wilkipedia) And there were two moves which must have been surprising to everyone, but also reflected the light at the end of the tunnel; The Ukraine Supreme Court ordered the Central Election Commission not to publish the 8 election results until the oppositions' charges of electoral fraud had been addressed. This was seen as a major victory for the opposition, as it effectively suspended official recognition of the results. Also, the Ukranian broadcast media, which had been heavily pro-government, staged a revolt against government censorship with journalists on state- owned television channels declaring that they would not be "lying" anymore. Television coverage of the opposition rallies, which had hitherto been patchy, was now greatly increased and opposition statements were widely reported for the first time. In Washington, former National Security Advisor Zbigniev Brzezinski demanded that the results be set aside and a new vote taken, under the eye - no less - of the United Nations. In the New York Times, Steven Lee Myers decried; "the use of government sources on behalf of loyal candidates and the state's control over the media" - practices he said that were akin to those in "Putin's Russia". If the Ukraine standard were applied in Ohio - as it should be - then the late lamented U. S. election certainly was stolen. In Ohio the secretary of State in charge of the elections process was co-chairman of the Bush campaign in the state. He obstructed the vote count systematically. - for instance, by demanding that provisional ballots without birth dates on their envelopes be thrown out, even though there is no requirement for that in state law. He also required that provisional ballots be cast in a voters home precinct, ensuring that there would be no escape from long lines. Republicans fielded thousands of election challengers to democratic precincts, mainly to try to intimidate black voters and slow down the process. According to an article by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman; "The man running 10 the show in Franklin County was Board of Elections Director Matt Damshroder, former head of the County's republican partyDamshroder's official records also show that while desperate poll workers called his office throughout the day, at least 125 machines were held back at the opening of the polls and an additional 68 were never deployed. Thus while thousands of inner city voters stood in the rain, were told their cars would be towed, and were then forced to vote in five minutes or less. Damshroder sat on machines that could have significantly sped the process" (Fitrakis) These are the established facts. Eyewitness reports of other forms of abuse include malfunctioning voting machines in Youngstown, a mysterious lock down of the vote count in Warren County and lesser incidents that run into the thousands. And these are allegations of irregularities in the count - how solid are these, one does not know. Taken together, are these enough to change the outcome No one can say. But the same is true in Kiev. And there, allegations by the defeated opposition are taken in good faith, and are quite enough to satisfy international observers and the government of the United States. So where is the press Why aren't there more stories on Ohio Why is there no national pressure for a prompt statewide recount Why no continuing outcry Why no demand - As our friends made with strong American support in the Ukraine -- that the election results in Ohio be set aside and a new vote held One reason of course, is that the U. S. government gives direction in these matters, both at home and around the world. And the American press, like that in "Putin's Russia", follows suit. American political leaders, if that is what they are, stay silent and move on. In Kiev, by contract, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are on the streets, 11 staying there overnight in the bitter cold, bringing the government to a halt and the world to attention. Works Cited Cibulka, Petr Another Fine Specimen, Ed. Jan Malina, Retrieved on line on Aporil 29, 2006 from, www.jtnyquist.com Fitrakis, Bob and Wasserman, Harvey, The Man Behind the Count, New York Times, Retrieved on line on April 30, 2006, from www.newyorktimes.com Government Accountability, Principles of Democracy August 2004, retrieved on line on April 30, 2006, from www.usinfo.state.gov Paton, Nick, Uktanian Uprising, The Guardian, retrieved on line on April 30, 2006, from www.salon.com Wilkipedia, The Urkraine, Retrieved on line on April 30, 2006, from www.wilkipedia.com Zunes, Stephen, Why Progressives Must Embrace the Ukraine Pre-Democracy Movement, retrieved on line on April 30, 2006, from www.ukemonde.com Read More