Sigh.
Politician Gerard Kennedy says he and a group of Canadians in the [sic] Ukraine to observe this weekend's national election got a taste of the country's "seedy underside" when they were shouted down and threatened by local officials after asking questions about inflated voter lists.
Full article here.
Some people just can't seem to let go of the past. News flash: The "the" was dropped from Ukraine back in 1991 when the country declared independence. Not exactly consistent professionalism at the Mother Corp. here in the Canada.
But perhaps the writer (or editor) is just one of those people I once encountered who yearns for the "good old days of the old soviet union." Like the imperialists of old...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Featured Post
Ukrainian Food Flair became a best seller today!
So thrilled to see this today! Thank you to my dear friend and writing mentor, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch , and best-selling children's a...
4 comments:
Maybe if Yushchenko came to Canada he could point this out and make an official protest to the powers that be.
I doubt anything short of Marx rising from the dead and updating his Manifesto would do it.
Just kidding. ;-) Old habits die hard and that's probably all it is.
Anyway, speaking of Yush, he's done a pretty good job of raising the status of the Ukrainian language at home. If he keeps up the momentum, the hardcore holdouts over here might eventually join the rest of us in the 21st century.
Orest, he's too busy right now to run a workshop for the Canadian media:)!
Pawlina, to be frank, he hasn't raised it in any significant way.
http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=414&issue_id=3737&article_id=2371110
But he didn't let it fall as low as it would have fallen had Yanukovych gained the throne in 2004.
OK. I better get my ass up and go vote:)
Good point about the "workshop for Canadian media." ;-)
As for Yuschenko and the language issue, I guess it's a matter of perspective. From mine, news that young Ukrainians consider the Ukrainian language chic and Russian as stodgy and passé is *very* significant! And, as you point out, that wouldn't have been the case under Yanukovych. So, credit where credit is due! ;-)
Given that Ukrainian has been under attack from foreign occupiers since long before Soviet times, it's a bit unrealistic (again, from my perspective) to expect one man to change entrenched negative attitudes overnight. It will take time and the help of active (and intelligent) supporters.
Glad to hear you're planning to exercise your right to vote. Good man!
Post a Comment