Driving Different Ways
The election in Ukraine, almost simultaneous with the election in Russia, once again draws a comparison between the ways these two countries develop. Ukraine reminds a truck racing along a bumpy rural road. There are three long-haul truckers in its cabin: Viktor Yushchenko, Yulia Tymoshenko, and Viktor Yanukovych. From time to time, they start wresting the steering wheel from each other and arguing, which makes the truck jolt on bumps. The 48 million of Ukrainians in the truck’s cargo body drum their fists on the cabin: drive carefully, it is people and not wood you are carrying! Overstraining its motor, the truck drives towards Europe. Besides, it sticks to its rut. Moreover, the Ukrainian truck has three drivers, but goes one way.
Meanwhile, another heavyweight vehicle is going in a different direction. It is larger in size and more powerful. It smoothly glides along icy track, guided by one driver. Nothing and no one distracts the driver. The cabin is warmed, and quiet music is playing. A specially-equipped cargo body carries 140 million of happy-looking Russians. Nobody beats on the cabin. The heavyweight vehicle glides towards Minsk. Yet, there is one risk: the thickness of the ice over which the machine glides depends on oil and natural gas prices. If the prices fall, the ice will become thin, and the vehicle will fall through.
There are three reasons why one country chose moving towards democracy, while the other – towards authoritarianism. First, Ukraine solved its identification issue, while Russia did not. Both eastern and western Ukraine will say that Ukraine is a European country. The programs of all major political forces, -- the Party of Regions, Our Ukraine, and the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, -- name the entry into the EU as Ukraine’s supreme goal. The issue of ‘pro-Russia forces’ in Ukraine is off the agenda. For those who still sooth themselves with illusions about PM Yanukovych allegedly being pro-Russia, I shall remind: Viktor Yanukovych voted for sending Ukrainian soldiers to Iraq. Moreover, the PM promised to introduce amendments on the Russian language’s status and to ratify the European Charter for Languages, which would give a decent status to the Russian language in Ukraine, but he never did it. At last, U.S. spin doctors work in his pre-election camp.
Unlike Ukraine, Russia has not yet solved the issue of its identity. The ‘Euro-Asian’ thesis is very inarticulate, and lets justify whatever, including undivided authority, single-mindedness, falsifications, and corruption.
Second difference is that Russia remains a country of xenophobia and difficulties with its Muslim south. Ukraine does not have such issues, and crises are solved in a far more tolerant manner. Third difference is that Russia is nostalgic for the empire, while Ukraine is allergic to it.
These three factors determined the two countries’ different development strategies. That is why the attitude to elections is different. High voter turnout in Ukraine is because the people feel: something depends on their choice. On the contrary, many people in Russia think: why voting at all? It makes the authorities remove the turnout lower limit and the graph ‘against everyone’ in the ballot. Moreover, the only mystery of the Russian election is: how many parties, -- 4 or 5, -- will be represented in the new Duma.
Boris Nemtsov, member of SPS political council and former advisor to President Yushchenko.
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 01, 2007
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