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| Felix Gorelik |
October 31, the people of Ukraine will have to make a choice: to keep on going on this road of "reforms" dictated by Western Imperialism or to put an end to this road to ruin, and start on the road to build up the devastated economy and guarantee rights for the working class. The cardinal truth is the choice has to be made between capitalism which ruined the country, plus the neocolonial status of Ukraine, or, rebuilt socialism that was left still undone. The candidates are trying to convince the people on these two roads for the future. The presidential election on October 31st has registered 15 candidates for the President. Kuchma is running. Marchuk, former Prime Minister, Udovenko, former Foreign Minister, head of the split-up RUKH Kostenko, plus candidates from many left and right parties, some unknown candidates. The second road for the voters, are the candidates of the left forces - more or less, they are Simonenko, N. Vitrenko plus N. Tkachenko and Alexander Moroz.
Objectively the win by the "left forces" would show the complete collapse of all the "reforms" as started by Krawchuk and carrying on by Kuchma. This "reform" road over 89% of the people of Ukraine felt on their own skins. It is a known fact that at the beginning of 1990 Ukraine was among the top ten countries of the world in industrialization and production. For each person in Ukraine the country produced 1 ton of grain, 1 ton of steel... Today Ukraine has sunk in the economic production to 151st place in the world, but in the tempo of growth of national gross product it has sunk to 205th place! It is hard to believe but the rate of production per capita in Ukraine, is lower than the island of Jamaica and 2 times less than Guinea-Bissau! The loss in dollars for all the years of "reforms" is over $400 billions of dollars. The production of machines fell by 15-20 times, technical apparatus by 20-25 times! In the production of staples such as flour it fell to the level of 1952, meat was 3 times less in 1998 than in 1990. Therefore the standard of living of the population fell by 10 times, which has caused more deaths than births - by 300,000 people every year. The unemployment - part time or full time - each year millions are let go to unpaid unemployment earned benefits... this reached over 40% of the employable work force.
All of the above is due to the policies of President Kuchma. But, Kuchma already is saying that he shall win in the first round. In which way can he give himself praise? His "successes" are only that "he stopped internal conflicts", that "Ukraine is known now all over the world", that "the fall in production could have been even worse"! What a "success record?"
He is banking on another variation of help. He is banking on the support of the state machinery, on the loyalty of the civil servants who depend for their jobs on him, who must guarantee falsification of the results of the votes! This was shown in the first steps towards this election. In order to get signatures for his nomination as a candidate for presidency, Kuchma leaned on the directors of the industrial enterprises to force the workers to sign their names or lose their jobs, on the Rectors of Universities, on the students, teachers - to either sign or lose their positions. Another "method" of getting signatures is to outright "buy them". This method was utilized very effectively by the millionaire candidates during the last election to parliament, when they bought votes openly for 1 pound of sugar or a bottle of wine and chocolates.
This kind of method was used by the "right" candidates when gathering signatures for their candidacy. Behind all this there stands "Western Capital".
Also an important role is played by intimidation. To defend the Kuchma regime there stands, armed to the teeth "national guard", militia, different gendarmes. But the main force in this intimidation and foggy curtain is the use of "zombinization" of the electorate by the daily use of TV, radio and press, which are in the hands of Kuchma and his capitalist regime. As an example, in Russia there are daily programs on TV and radio utilized by Yeltsin to sow his poison into the minds of the onlookers. Daily they scare the people with "hunger years" and "Gulags", utilizing this poisonous chewing gum over and over again.
While in Ukraine I saw over the TV a fragment of an election meeting with P. Simonenko of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Simonenko started to speak a few words, then the TV camera focused on the back-room provocateurs, who came to listen and disrupt the meeting where Simonenko spoke. Some person, agitated was yelling: "Communists dismembered our country! The Communists took all my savings! Communists took away my pension!" Then the camera did not go back to Simonenko for a reply, but switched to a young man who represented in uniform "Hitler youth" from the present Banderites here, who cursed the Communists.
This is the atmosphere of "democracy" that the left candidates are against... they do not let them get any TV exposure. The "left" candidates receive only 10 minutes, while all "right" candidates buy their time as often as they can, since to them money is no object. The "left" of course haven't this possibility.
As we can see, the present regime blames all the ills on the "communists", thus promoting foggy illusions, untruths and lies to permeate into the minds of the people. Will it be possible again to fool the people?
I would like to believe that this time this shall not happen! Kuchma's old policies have brought the people to the position of slaves. The prime example is what happened in the Donbass region. I wrote about this 5 month strike and hunger strikes in NSC before, where there was even a suicide by Alexander Mukhalevich, a father of 3 children who burned himself to death in protest over not getting his pay.
They managed to get some of their pay back. But, nothing changed! Again, these miners are not being paid for 11 months already. In July of this year, the wives and children of these miners began a march on Kiev. Only 300 wives out of 900 managed to get through the militia barrier in Lugansk. The militia held and beat back the others. Amongst the marchers were pregnant women and small children. Under a 40 degree hot sun, under open sky they waited, for what their leaders would say. Some of these women started a hunger strike. I was there, and I tried to talk to them, to explain to them as to what the reasons are for this state of affairs, for the miners not getting paid or for the fact that they were stopped from going to Kiev, that they should vote for the Communists. The answer I received was: "We are demanding only our pay. We are not interested in politics! We do not believe the communists!" In all of their complete ignorance, they voted for the capitalist Kolomoitsev. They also stated that they will not vote for Kuchma in the Krasnodon region. But, after discussions as to whom they would vote for, they did not know!
The unfortunate same malady and position is in other sectors of the working class. My neighbors where I lived - workers in a defense industry for 30 years - are not receiving their pay - they are paid in bread and other products instead. I listened to their voices, very muddled in their thinking. "Kuchma already has stolen as much as he needs, and if a new one comes, he will just start to steal! In the government are all communists! If Simonenko is elected - he will be the same!" Here I would like to give a concrete example: The former Secretary of the Industrial enterprise party club, today is the head of the district government and a rabid anti-Communist, dedicated servant of president Kuchma! All of the Kuchma's administration came from the leadership of the Communist Party of Ukraine! The mass traitorous nomenclature have thrown into the eyes of the people blame on the whole Communist party! All these government officials (former leaders of the CPU) are doing their anti-Communist work, the difficulty of the left forces overcoming this is great, since there is no unity amongst them. The present bourgeois regime is utilizing this very effectively for their own ends. The reactionary forces are doing everything possible to make these splits deeper and irreconcilable.
Who of the left forces has the best chance in the elections?
The Socialist Party of Ukraine put as their candidate Alexander Moroz, former Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine. The popular ratings in the last few years is getting smaller and smaller. The people remember well that over time there was a concerted attack against president Kuchma, he threatened to disband the Ukrainian parliament. This happened when Moroz, against the will of the deputies threatened to disband parliament if they voted against the banning of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Moroz also went and agreed to sign the new Constitution of cooperation, thus automatically taking away the rights of Parliament and giving Kuchma extraordinary powers. He held the parliamentary deputies hostage all night, until they signed the new Constitution. He is more and more taking the social-democratic road. It is no wonder that this "socialist" is being supported by the reactionary RUKH movement, and the radio station "Freedom". Helping the "Moroz Election Fund" the banks are putting in money, which helped him to inundate the country with his election posters and leaflets. He banks on the repeat of what happened in Poland, when the former Communist (in the leadership in Poland) Kvasnevsky became head of Poland and thus brought Poland into NATO!
Today's Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine is head of the Village Party Alexander Tkachenko, he wants private enterprise and market economy, although he says that he is sympathetic to socialism and union of Byelorussia and Russia.
Amongst the "left" candidates, utilizing left phraseology is Natalia Vitrenko from the Progressive Socialist Party. She also played a role in the struggles between communists and socialists. This scenario did a good turn for Kuchma. She was nicknamed "Ukrainian Zhirinovsky". I feel that her ratings, although high, the party is not as numerous as to make a cardinal difference.
The biggest authority amongst the left forces is held by Peter Simonenko. He was born in 1952, his father was a tractor driver, mother was a nurse in a hospital. His biography is typical of people that the Soviet State gave opportunities to. He finished his schooling and graduated as an engineer. In 1982 he was elected as the Secretary of the City Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine in Mariopol. In 1993 in the rejuvenated CPU he was elected as First Secretary. In 1994 he was elected as a Deputy to Ukrainian parliament, heading there the Communist fraction in parliament.
What can be said about P. Simonenko as a politician? He supports the working class - but truth must be told, that many times he did not have the dedication and principle as a leader and went on the road of cooperation and he also helped to disperse the Supreme Soviet.
Even if the left wins in the election, this is just the beginning of the fight for resurrection of Socialism. The win would bring forth the internal and external enemies, it would be met by sabotage, intervention, blockade and maybe bloodshed.
He promises to give people work, back pay, pensions and help to the students. But where is he going to get those finances? From whom? In order to get rid of the present bourgeoisie you need revolutionary methods of struggle, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, nationalization of all the means of production. The presidential elections shall not decide anything, without involvement of the masses of the people. Parliament and parliamentary means shall not decide anything beneficial for the restoration of socialism and the Soviet Union! Is Simonenko ready to embark on such a road? He will say that the masses are not ready for such a struggle. Is it because the masses see in the present leaders the opportunistic tendency just to get their parliamentary cushy jobs and pay? In his pre-election manifesto his program states that he is for "social orientated, different forms of ownership of the means of production and a market economy!"
Well, under such a slogan, every candidate, both left and right shall sign his or her name without any qualms. His idea is not to throw away the present "middle class". Simonenko does not call for the full nationalization of industry or the means of production that was taken away from the people, that was built by the Soviet Union. He is not against the exploitation of man by man.
Without abolition of the above, there is absolutely no possibility of improving the living standards of the people! I feel that if the Communists united and put forward the correct slogan, they would bring around them the working class and farmers. A revolutionary slogan is needed now more than ever, as the Bolsheviks did in 1917!
I would make these appeals in the following words:
* Give back everything that was stolen from the people. All that was built by our efforts!
* Only to the workers - the State and Freedom!
* Only in brotherly union shall we find happiness and socialism!
Will there be victory by the forces of the left and socialism, only the future will show us. For the working class - this is the last chance in the struggle for life, freedom from hunger, unemployment and for socialism.
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