Original article in Ukrainian by Viktor Chyvokunya, Kremechug-Poltava, UP
Translated by Eugene Ivantsov
Yulia Tymoshenko acquired the latest modern trends of the 2007 election. A helicopter took her to the rally held on Sunday in Kremenchug.
The helicopter belongs to Kostyantyn Zhevago, the richest BYuT member who received the fifth position in the top-100 influential people in Ukraine with $2.7 billion, according to Korrespondent ratings.
Mr. Zhevago accompanied Yulia Tymoshenko aboard. Mrs. Tymoshenko started her tour with visiting Kremenchug Automobile Enterprise owned by Mr. Zhevago.
Poltava region is considered the ‘expansion area’ where Yanukovych’s campaign headquarters intend to improve the election results as compared to the previous election. Besides, traditionally Poltava region was the Socialist region where, Mr. Moroz’s party received almost 13%. Now, the Orange and the blue-and-white are fighting over the regional electorate.
According to one of the regional officials, the Party of Regions that put agitation on a wide scale, having their agitators almost in every village, turned out more successful due to unlimited financing. Mrs. Tymoshenko went to Poltava to correct the situation using her traditional methods.
“They are coming,” reported employees of the BYuT local headquarters to Andriy Verevsky. According to some estimate, this man controls one fourth of Ukrainian refined oil market. It is his second election campaign in the office of the BYuT campaign headquarters in Poltava.
 |
| Tymoshenko came down from “heaven to earth” |
Italian helicopter Agusta landed on the territory of AutoKraz Automobile Enterprise. Armored Mercedes that had come from Kyiv was waiting for the BYuT leader there. But Mrs. Tymoshenko did not like such an idea.
“She says she get very tired of such trips. She wants to fly from Kremenchug to Poltava by helicopter,” the head of the BYuT local headquarters addressed Mr. Zhevago.
“Be my guest! It takes an hour by car and only 15 minutes by helicopter,” answered a young billionaire who failed to have Mrs. Tymoshenko visit his meat packing enterprise.
 |
| Mr. Zhevago was present in parliament only once. But he flew to Kremenchug because of Mrs. Tymoshenko’s visit. Photo by Oleksandr Prokopenko |
Yulia Tymoshenko’s visit began with a meeting with representatives of small and mid-sized business who gathered in AutoKraz to discuss touchy issues. In order not to break ‘the rules of weight categories’ Mr. Zhevago did not even enter the hall.
“I know from my own experience that it is hard to run business in this country!” complained Mrs. Tymoshenko.
“I have four private entrepreneurs in my family: my sister, my immediate family… They tell me how state officials humble you,” she went on.
Mrs. Tymoshenko’s statement that the number of private entrepreneurs in her family has increased was rather surprising. Previously, it was known that her husband ran a poultry farm. The BYuT leader refused to share information about occupation of her immediate family or at least her daughter Evgenia.
“She learns how to take a banking loan to start her own small business,” Yulia Tymoshenko avoided a direct answer.
The BYuT leader promised Kremenchug businessmen (and even those who do not know yet they will run business) her assistance.
“There are thousands of people who do not know what business is profitable and promising. We will create database and registry of businesses available on the Internet,” Mr. Tymoshenko promised an original start of a business career.
Also, Yulia Tymoshenko stated that she would resolve the problem of the initial capital for such people:
“Defects of the credit system will be eliminated. Businessmen will be offered a 3-6% basic lending rate. It is now a standard rate in Europe.”
The audience kept silent.
There was a group of people among representative of the ‘small and mid-sized business’ who were brought to the meeting by bus. These people looked like street vendors. Yulia Tymoshenko had a message for them as well.
“I know the state fights against street vendors and market places to build supermarkets there. They must not do it because street vendors have a better education than some government members. I do not want to offend the PM. Some ministers have the same problem,” she cheered up the audience.
Yulia Tymoshenko promised to cancel the VAT by introducing a new tax: “If a person buys bread and water or yachts and mansions only they must pay different taxes. In such a case none of them will feel the tax burden.”
But corruption is the main problem of business.
“We will develop a website with the registry of services for which state officials demand bribes. You will be able to anonymously file complaints so that we will be able to fight against the corruption,” she said.
Besides, Mrs. Tymoshenko stated that she would decrease influence of state officials on private business. She said that she had cancelled about five thousand normative acts causing corruption in the office of the PM.
“But it was state officials who cancelled all those normative acts! Can you imagine that they cancelled all those resolutions which were not critical for them! This vertical corrupt scheme was headed by the ministers. When, for example, we inspected fire prevention systems, the Minister for Emergency Situation was the first to oppose us. The Agrarian Minister fought against inspection of the veterinary service,” said the BYuT leader.
According to Mrs. Tymoshenko, future opposition will be the main fighter against the corruption:
“I hope Yanukovych will be in the opposition with powers to control authority. We will give him knife and fork they will use to check the breakfast menu of a state official.”
For example, Mrs. Tymoshenko offered the opposition powers of a new law-enforcement structure able to act “bypassing the Prosecutor General’s Office through parliamentary committees of investigation.”
Mrs. Tymoshenko proposed her most radical means of fighting against the corruption. According to her, it is life sentence.
“But I think this norm will never be used because everybody will be afraid. There are no death sentences for corruption in China because there is no corruption there!” said Yulia Tymoshenko.
When Mrs. Tymoshenko finished her speech she offered to ask her questions. But the audience and the BYuT leader were keeping silent. When this pause became rather awkward one man raised his hand. His did not want to ask any questions. The man handed over his written proposals to Yulia Tymoshenko. She took them but advised to use the BYuT website for such purposes.
“We are living in the 21st century,” she said.
Her monologue ended in Mrs. Tymoshenko’s signing a unilateral agreement with the small business. It is one of the BYuT methods in this election campaign. Yulia Tymoshenko signs agreements with doctors, teachers or businessmen.
The Victory Square was Mrs. Tymoshenko’s next destination. The rally gathered about four thousand people and several huge Kraz trucks decorated with the BYuT slogans.
 |
| Trucks support Tymoshenko |
Mrs. Tymoshenko said that she was offered to join the broad coalition for the sake of saving the dissolved parliament.
“I was offered the Speaker’s office and half of ministerial offices. When I refused they asked me: “What else do you want? Do you want a dozen of enterprises?” But I will never join the broad coalition! I will not! This coalition will tie us down with seeking compromise,” she explained.
According to Yulia Tymoshenko, Yanukovych’s government would try to make her consent to share of state property.
“On September 1 children go to school…Some parents present their child with a schoolbag, some children receive daybooks. But Rynat Akhmetov presented his son with the DniproEnergo Company. From now on you will receive electricity bills not from the state but from Mr. Akhmetov or his son. In 20 years his grandson will run the family business,” Mrs. Tymoshenko chose her favorite topic.
Then Yulia Tymoshenko started agitating the audience to be active at the early election.
“They will say that “your participation in election will not change anything and the parliament will be all the same,” she said.
“But it is not true. Moroz will not enter parliament. Moroz has had enough authority. It is high time he retired” she sent Mr. Moroz her regards.
Having said this, Mrs. Tymoshenko took a pause and made a typical fisherman’s gesture stretching her arms as if boasting of a great take of fish.
“Moroz will not just retire but he will R-E-T-I-R-E,” said Tymoshenko in such a voice as if there will be as many zeros in Moroz’s retired pay as letters in this word.
Communists were Mrs. Tymoshenko’s next target:
“It is 50/50 that they will enter parliament. What did they expect? They collaborated with the wild capitalism!”
To humiliate Petro Symonenko, Mrs. Tymoshenko recalled her student years.
“I had an “A” in Science of Communism that is why I know what a true communism is. I can even make a bet – if anyone of you finds communism in Symonenko’s party I will vote for him,” she offered.
“If you decided to vote for the Party of Regions I ask you to go to church and kill the hoodoo,” said Yulia Tymoshenko.
“Ha-ha-ha,” the audience burst in laughter.
In fact, it is quite clear why Mrs. Tymoshenko keeps saying at every rally that only three political forces will enter parliament. Only in such a case the BYuT and Our Ukraine –People’s Self-Defense will altogether have more seats than the Party of Regions. In the event the Communists or Lytvyn’s Bloc are elected to parliament the situation becomes unpredictable.
According to Mrs. Tymoshenko, there are four reasons why people vote for Viktor Yanukovych.
“They say: “Yanukovych will give chance for the Russian language to become the second state language. But Leonid Kuchma has twice used this initiative to win the presidential election. The language issue is a screen. This issue distracts people from real problems!” she said.
NATO is the second populist issue promoted by Mr. Yanukovych.
“In 2004 the Party of Regions headed by Mr. Yanukovych voted to send our soldiers to Iraq. It is not just NATO membership it is war together with NATO,” she expressed her indignation.
According to Mrs. Tymoshenko, relations with Russia is the third reason why people support PM Yanukovych.
“What is he talking about? My friendship with Russia was manifested by the gas price of $50 per 1000 cubic meters, Yekhanurov’s friendship – $95, while Yanukovych’s friendship brought us the price of $130,” she touched upon gas relations between the two countries.
Yulia Tymoshenko heard the fourth reason during her visit to Luhansk:
“Several elderly women came up to me saying: “Why do you scold Yanukovych. You have been in power for ten years. Yanukovych is a young promising politician. Why cannot you leave him in peace?”
This maneuver was very skilful. Mrs. Tymoshenko ‘passed the ball to herself and it was a goal pass’.
“Indeed, Yanukovych was the governor of Donetsk region. But he left scorched earth behind him. There are many empty blocks of flats there in which no one wants to live even for free,” said the BYuT leader.
“Who was the PM during the last years of Kuchma’s reign? The Pope? No, it was Viktor Yanukovych! The three of them (there was also Kuchma’s son-in-law in the team) shared the entire country having stolen every strategic enterprise,” Yulia Tymoshenko went on.
However, it was not the end of Yanukovych’s criminal record.
“When Yanukovych became the PM for the second time his first resolution restored Leonid Kuchma’s privileges, his 2 000 square meter dacha with waitresses, masseurs and a swimming pool. He exempted the poor ex-president communal fees!”
“U-u-u-u,” people responded.
According to Tymoshenko, dissolution of parliament was the only way out.
“There is no tragedy here. Americans hold election every two years. If one gathers 100 000 signatures in support of the early election in Israel then the early election is inevitable,” said Yulia Tymoshenko.
Despite strong criticism of Viktor Yanukovych this rally ended peacefully taking into account that several supporters of the Party of Regions with the blue-and-white flags were also present there.
Poltava became the nest destination in Mrs. Tymoshenko’s tour. About 10 000 people gathered to listen to the Orange lady.
 |
| The rally in Poltava took place at the stadium Vorskla which also belongs to Mr. Zhevago |
“They will say that your participation in election will not change anything and the parliament will be the same. But it is not true. Will Moroz enter parliament?” she asked the audience.
“No-o-o-o!” people responded.
“Do the communist ideology and the Communist Party of Ukraine have anything in common? If Lenin saw what Petro Symonenko is doing now, he would spin in his coffin at the speed of 60 rpm!” she said.
Then she made public the four reasons why people vote for Yanukovych. Yulia Tymoshenko really enjoyed finishing off Yanukovych with NATO issue:
“When Mr. Yanukovych became the PM he gave interview to German periodical Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. I understand you do not know anything about it. But this interview is available on the Internet. The journalist asked Yanukovych: “You have agreed with President Yushchenko that NATO membership will be decided at the referendum. How would you vote?” Viktor Yanukovych responded: “Joining NATO remains our strategic goal.” The journalists asked again: “Does this mean NATO membership?” He answered: “Yes. No one gave up this goal.”
Yulia Tymoshenko savored every Yanukovych’s answer. However, when Ukrayinska Pravda addressed Mrs. Tymoshenko herself with the same question she avoided a direct answer.
As the rally in Poltava was the highlight of her visit to Poltava region Mrs. Tymoshenko made a longer speech.
In particular, she tried to respond to accusations that she raised salaries for state officials. Some of Mrs. Tymoshenko’s arguments were the figment of her mind.
“When I became the PM the minister’s salary was UAH 500 ($100). How did state officials support their families? For instance, there were special grants for agricultural development in budget. But not a single cow received this grant. Two-legged animals stole this money. That is why I raised their salaries having closed all holes in budget,” she explained.
This answer contradicts her confession made during the meeting with representatives of small and mid-sized business that she did not manage to eradicate the most developed corruption schemes.
According to Yulia Tymoshenko, discharge from the PM’s office prevented her from completing this job. During the meeting she never mentioned President Yushchenko in the negative context. Unlike the previous election campaign, she made a hint on Viktor Yushchenko only once.
“Corruption scandal broke out in their team, but they decided to get rid of me. They were not strong enough to work with such PM… I was in opposition to both pre- and post-revolution authorities,” confessed Mrs. Tymoshenko refusing to name her employers, Kuchma and Yushchenko.
At the end of the rally, Yulia Tymoshenko warned people of the election fraud.
“They offer people in Zhytomyr region to write an application with the request to vote at home in exchange for UAH 150. These votes will be counted somewhere in the dark corner,” the BYuT leader stated.
“Why does the Party of Regions have 20% in Poltava region? Raise your hand those who will persuade 10 his friends to vote for the BYuT during the time left before the election?” Mrs. Tymoshenko addressed the people.
“I will! I will!” they responded.
“What about 15 people?” she laughed.
This time less people expressed their readiness.
According to Mrs. Tymoshenko, only ‘people’s telegraph’ can save the situation. Her election campaigns of 2002 and 2006 went on according to the identical scenario.
