Letters to Editor

May 29 2008, 03:43

Dear Editor,

You seem to make conflicting statements in your May 22 editorial, in which you say “a break with Ukraine’s Soviet past wasn’t accomplished with Viktor Yushchenko or Yulia Tymoshenko,” and a few lines later opine that “the Tymoshenko Bloc is the more stable option that offers Kyiv hope for Western standards in politics and governance”. Where your first statement is no doubt correct concerning the president, your second statement — which is also correct — appears incompatible with your first remark as far as the prime minister is concerned.Even more curious is that you do not comment on the president’s role in this election. Your readers will no doubt like to understand why the president decided to support an unpopular and immensely corrupt incumbent, instead of agreeing with Tymoshenko on an Orange candidate or fielding a candidate for his own party. This raises suspicion that his support may be related to financial and political gains (is there a difference?) to be obtained from cooperating with this mayor in separating Kyivans from their communal assets. You no doubt remember the infamous land grab of October 1, 2007, in which Kyiv land with an estimated value of more than $10 billion moved into the hands of a few insiders linked to the mayor and the president, despite strong resistance from the Tymoshenko and Vitali Klitschko factions in the City Council.Obviously, $10 billion would have come a long way in solving some of the problems of Ukraine’s capital that have long been neglected, but it seems that fair and constructive government — a break with Ukraine’s Soviet past — is not a priority of this president. Unfortunately, it also seems that Kyivans and other Ukrainians will again be paying the price, at least until the next presidential election.Dirck Smits van OyenKyivDear Editor,Ukraine would do well to look at the problems created in the US by paying money to women to have children. We really didn’t want them to have these children with no man to stay and help with the family. But that is exactly what we achieved — babies with no fathers at home. And we continued to pay, and for that produced more babies without fathers again and again.It would seem to me that Ukraine should take care of the thousands of orphans in the institutions and on the streets before increasing the problem. The problem will surely become worse, and just like here in the US, the prison population will grow and grow. At about 47 million people, a nation the size of Ukraine is not underpopulated. David CottrellMarion, Ohio

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