Ukraine's Yushchenko urges end to language debate

[stepanstas]

Ukraine's Yushchenko urges end to language debate, backs church

KIEV, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Addressing the nation on its Independence Day Thursday, the Ukrainian president called for the promotion of the Ukrainian language among politicians and the establishment of a united, independent Orthodox church.

In a speech from a central square in Kiev, Viktor Yushchenko said all the country's politicians should be able to speak Ukrainian.

Twenty-four percent of the population in Ukraine, which is marking the 15th anniversary of its secession from the Soviet Union, speak Russian, particularly those living in the east of the country, near the Russian border.

"The principle of this country is simple - a Ukrainian citizen is free to choose," Yushchenko said. "But a Ukrainian politician or a public servant must know, use and live by the national language."

Yushchenko also called for an end to religious debates. Ukraine's two leading religions are Catholicism dominating in the west and Orthodoxy in the east.

The president also said he advocated independence and international recognition for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Following Ukraine's independence in November 1991, Metropolitan Filaret, then head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, convened a national church council and declared the canonical independence of the Ukrainian church from Russian.

The council later asked Alexy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to approve the decision, but it was rejected in April 1992, and the Russian church went so far as to anathematize Filaret.

The Kiev Patriarchy has not been recognized by any of the world's Orthodox churches.

Yushchenko also called for a nationwide discussion aimed at historical reconciliation and mutual understanding between the eastern and the western parts of the country.

The split in Ukrainian society became particularly evident during the past 20 months of political turmoil, when candidates backed by the east and west of the country vied for power. The country emerged from the political wrangling with a pro-Western president, Yushchenko, and a new prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, backed by eastern Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian leader further said he expected parliament, the Supreme Rada, to adopt a bill declaring the famine of 1932-33, or "holodomor", an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation.

The famine, which claimed millions of lives, is said to have been deliberately orchestrated by the Soviet authorities under Joseph Stalin to destroy Ukrainian society and culture in order to subdue the nation.

Yushchenko instructed the government to set up a memorial to the victims of the famine by the 75th anniversary of the tragic events.

The fourth Saturday of November is the day of commemoration of the famine victims in Ukraine.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20060824/53095075.html

[henrylee100]

I wonder how can one urge an end to the language debate in Urkaine by insisting that politicians speak Ukrainian? To me it's a contradiction in terms and rather than urging an end to the debate I'd say he's further fueling it. In a democratic society, politicians are representatives of the people and if the people that they represent speak a particular language why should they be expected/encouraged to speak a different one. Far as I know European MP's are not required to all speak one language and frankly I don't see why it should be any different in Ukraine given the country's ethnic and linguistic diversity.

Twenty four percent speak Russian, that figure clearly has little to do with reality. I'd say that pershaps twenty four percent can't speak any Ukrainian at all, that would be closer to the truth. The percentage of people who regularly speak Russian, but who can speak Ukrainian if they have to, is definetely much higher than that.

Filaret's actions were politically motivated and the Moscow patriarchy had every right to excommunicate him for dragging the church into a political fray.

The east and the west don't need a "historical" reconciliation, they need to be reconciled in the here and now.

The notion that the Ukrainian famine was a deliberate act of genocide against the Ukrainan nation is pure fiction, it was part of a USSR wide policy of forced collectivization and expropriation of produce that also hit mighty hard in a number of regions along the Volga river at about the same time where, too, scores of people died from starvation. Both famines resulted from petty local communist functionaries trying too hard to lick their superiors' ass. In the case of the Ukrainian famine one of these petty funcionaries was none other than Nikita Krhustchev. Sure the top men in Moscow were the ones that issued the insane orders but nothing of the kind could have ever happened if the locals had not carried out those orders with such zeal.

[stepanstas]

i fully disagree

polititcians are suppostu represent the people, but just because in the USA a lot of people are hispanic, doesnt mean that their politians should speak Spanish

Complete nonsence

[Cesar_Augusto]

Originally Posted by stepanstas

i fully disagree

polititcians are suppostu represent the people, but just because in the USA a lot of people are hispanic, doesnt mean that their politians should speak Spanish

Complete nonsence

They will in the future... in the meantime, if they want to get the Hispanic votes they frequently speak in our language.

CИsar

[stepanstas]

This will never happen, it would not be permited

And as Yuschenko is doing, not permiting it

[Cesar_Augusto]

Originally Posted by stepanstas

This will never happen, it would not be permited

And as Yuschenko is doing, not permiting it

We'll see in the year 2025... if God allows us to live until that time.

[henrylee100]

Originally Posted by stepanstas

This will never happen, it would not be permited

And as Yuschenko is doing, not permiting it

it looks like you simply don't understand that the US is basically a common law country, although a little less so than the UK, what this means is basically that whatever people do is accepted as law, the english garden principle. In the US there is no such thing as a state language, it simply so happens that currently the majority speak English but as all the recent population increases have been primarily due to hispanics Ceasar_Augusto's scenario in which Congress is holding mettings in Spanish in 2025 is quite likely. Although I doubt if it could happen that soon, imho by 2025 local legislatures in states like New Mexico and Texas will probably be either bi lingual or all Castellano.

So now, if you're talking democracy it's no nonsense but rather the only way to go, in a democracy the state is for the people and not vice versa and that seems to be what most politicians in eastern Europe are totally unable to wrap their minds around, they continue to treat their people as "subjects" that are there to carry out their orders and abide by laws imposed on them against their will. The sad thing is that the people themselves seem to think that this is the normal run of things.