“Every year, the concept of independence for us takes new features and forms. Today we see it a little differently than a year ago, and exactly much differently than in 2015. Maybe someone will think that in general to talk about independence in such a tumultuous and political side, time is a little strange, even senseless.”, – WRITE: www.pravda.com.ua
Maybe someone will think that in general to talk about independence in such a tumultuous and political side, time is a little strange, even senseless. Just look at the news ribbon with a dozen top drives – and how to think here “about high”?
But at some point you just stop, look around half a year ago, remember that you worried, what lived in recent months – and become obvious long ago familiar and important things. And independence is one of them.
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So I want to mention a few unexpectedly new or hopeful statements about our independence.
Independence is not something acquired, it “sprouts” from the inside.
The strength of independence is not external, but internal, it is in the head. And while everyone does not draw this value or realize this value, there will be nothing outside. You can shout, declare many things, but if you are not ready to defend these values, then nothing will work.
This applies to both the individual and the whole country. Therefore, when we talk about the independence of a Ukrainian, it is first and foremost about his independence in his own thoughts and judgments about the state of things around. About vision of yourself in this country and willingness to take responsibility for what you will do within these values.
An independent country is impossible without sustainable and sustainable institutions.
Institutions are not a spine, but exactly the skeleton of the state. Because, like part of the skeleton, each of them is responsible for a specific action, and at some point can even save the future. And such cases in Ukrainian history have already happened.
For example, when in December 2004, the Supreme Court decided to cancel the results of the second round of the Presidential Elections of Ukraine. Within three weeks, a third round was held, which was won by Viktor Yushchenko – Ukraine received the first democratic president and first set up the European Way.
The decision of the Supreme Court was unexpected – it is a story about an institution that at some point refused to be a hostage to the interests of a particular group of persons. There would be no institution, we could hardly talk about Ukraine then – everything would be different, and maybe after the first coming of Yanukovych and Ukraine it would be.
Another similar story is the evening meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on February 20, 2014. It was a difficult, painful day when dozens of protesters were killed on the Maidan and around it. But in the evening the people’s deputies, from which no one was waiting for it, gathered and again made Ukraine a parliamentary-presidential republic. And then, after the escape of Viktor Yanukovych, the Verkhovna Rada as an institution was the only state function-until the presidential election in May 2014. Who then thought that the Verkhovna Rada was capable of such? Filled with Russian prickly, which passed dictatorial laws a month.
In fact, the institutions, still, do people. Therefore, it is never worth writing off any branch of power: both legislative and executive. The main thing is that people who can mobilize at the moment, take responsibility and make a decision. Are there such people now? Can we imagine that this will happen today? We can not believe it, but we know what it is possible. Because they have already seen how in times of hopelessness it happened, and the drivers of such changes were, albeit imperfect, institutions.
Ukrainian independence is impossible with authoritarian rule.
Although historically it was difficult to call Ukraine democratic by modern standards – there was always a military unit here, that is, Zaporizhzhya Sich – democratic approaches have always existed here and created the basis for resistance. That is why real authoritarianism or dictatorship fused on our lands seems to have never been.
But after August 24, 1991, our story showed even more vividly that there can be no dictator or even autocrat here in principle. Because numerous attempts of usurpation of the authorities first or another poured into a great folk protest. Both the Orange Revolution and the Dignity Revolution were just reactions to such efforts to decide the fate of the country outside the will of all Ukrainians. Actually, even the July this year, when the law on the restriction of independence of NABU and the SAP was adopted, to some extent showed the same Ukrainian rice.
It is absolutely illogical in the country, which for their own freedom is ready to fight with one and a half -personal army, to take independence from some organs, and at the same time to expect a lack of reaction. We are patient, but when it comes to freedom, everything is “the bar falls.”
Independence is a process, and the process is impossible without reforms.
When we talk about the future of Ukraine, it is always about changes that will make the country better. Therefore, today our existence is impossible without reforms. Good news – we know what to do, because our reforms are directly aimed at integration into the European Union. Bad news – changes are not as fast as they would have, and in the last year, it seems in general in many ways.
It is even difficult to call some specific reform the most important thing – you just need to critically perform in a timely manner what we have signed a year, two or three ago. We can argue about methods and approaches, but we need to do. Instead, it has been minimized lately, and it only interferes with us, because it shows Ukraine not in the best light in the eyes of partners.
It is important here that EU membership is not an entry into any premium club, from where you can come out at any time or do not do something. In the finals, all the obligations to join the EU will only strengthen our real independence, as improved institutions will work and it will be difficult for them. The skeleton will be formed, and the whole state body will move and develop.
True independence is about movement in the future.
We were shown to us July protests. After all, most of those who came to the square at the Frank Theater and the location in other cities are young people born after Ukraine gained independence. They grew up in a world where citizens defended justice, they saw the protests that their parents and older comrades went to. They are ready to defend their beliefs and work for their implementation in the future.
I am sure that it inspires every conscious citizen most, and especially our defenders at the front. When they see that people in the rear are ready to defend at the level of beliefs and real actions the values for which warriors stand to death “at zero” – it adds strength. In the end, many soldiers also participated in July protests, and this is an additional testimony that the desire of people in the rear and people at the front came together.
IN This year, we were finally convinced that we have the future – that the country remains. We have active youth that everyone was underestimated, but these boys and girls are definitely not indifferent. So if we set aside the country – both outside and inside – we will definitely have a good future. And, I think, this is the most striking will be our real independence.
Andriy Borovyk, Transparency International Ukraine Executive Director
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