Project 'Self-help': Debunking the Myth

Project 'Self-help': Debunking the Myth

Otherwise how can we explain the fact that over 23 years our people have not managed to build a highly developed, powerful country, but instead handed all levers of governance to the hands of a few clans, continue to live in poverty and complain about bad leadership and injustice, yet in elections are drawn to 'new faces' who are not really new at all. Perhaps, once again captured by the illusion, hence they vote for projects like 'Self-help.'

"Bring a ride for Shuster for a poor MP from 'Self-help'!"

Before the elections finished, the newly minted deputies from 'Self-help' already began to plaintively complain about small salaries and how hard it will be to provide for themselves. First to raise this topic was the first number of the quasi–alliance Hanna Hopko.

"We need to raise salaries for deputies. And this is fair, because, for example, in the 'Self-help' party three worthy representatives of the fight against corruption did not pass, who said that 6 thousand they could not support themselves, and we lost such people," – said Hanna Hopko. So it seems members of 'Self-help' do not see at the moment more urgent issues in the state than the salary of a deputy? Then why did they even go to parliament?

Another leader of 'Self-help' Oksana Syroiy, the fourth on the list, altogether called populism the necessity to restrict deputies' salaries in wartime.

"My position is that salary restriction is populism. I come, for example, to Shuster or to other performances, people want to see politicians on television. Gas costs about 100 UAH to drive in my own car to provide this, and with a taxi it would be even more expensive," – Oksana Syroiy of 'Self-help' wails.

We see that the thinking level of the newly elected MP is rather specific. Not European at all: for a deputy from 'Self-help' it is convenient to go to airtime only in own car or taxi. Probably for such people a trip by public transport would be an act of great humiliation. What country can they build if deputies see the main essence of their work in comfortable rides and participation in TV broadcasts?

The candidate and almost future MP tried to explain why other people can live on a salary of 1000 hryvnias, though this is sad, but deputies – no: "One thing is when a person lives on an undeserved salary, not having temptations, and another when a person lives on such a salary and has temptations."

However, a question arises: why in a poor country should the authorities be tempted to live much, while the people will barely make ends meet? Maybe it is worth legally tying the level of MPs' salaries to the level of minimum or average wage in Ukraine? Then the people’s representatives will work better, because their welfare will depend on how well-off Ukrainians live. But it seems Oksana Syroiod did not even think of that.

A representative of 'Self-help' says she earned 200 000-300 000 hryvnias per year. And now she will be forced to limit herself because of the deputy's low salary. "If these amounts were significantly smaller, then it would be a completely different feeling. Objectively, where to take money?", – laments Oksana Syroiy.

Maybe this lady simply should not have run for people's deputies, only to suff­er later because of such unpleasant feelings? It is wild and unacceptable that at a time when Ukraine is at war and the standard of living of the majority of citizens has fallen markedly, for the new deputies the question of their own wealth becomes their main worry.

Such not at all patriotic and far from progressive ideas will bring to the parliament the representatives of 'Self-help'. Although just several months ago many current newly elected MPs criticized the then deputies and their salaries. Has the situation changed now?

"Self-Help" as a supplier of a new generation of 'fired' politicians

CEC has not yet counted the election results, and in the project of the mayor of Lviv there already appeared the first 'fired' ones. In truth, 'Self-help' turned out to be not a disciplined team but a simple conglomerate of people united by the desire to get into the Verkhovna Rada.

At the end of October, a part of representatives of the party 'Freedom', which ran in the election in one harness with 'Self-help', announced their exit from this political project.

Yuriy Derevyanko, who won in the 87-th district, accused Andriy Sadovyi and his party of violating the rules of cooperation and announced the intention to create a separate inter-fraction association 'Freedom' in the new composition of parliament. Yuriy Derevyanko accused 'Self-help' of not supporting the agreed majoritarian candidates in certain districts, and some of its activists do not meet the lustration and moral-ethical criteria. His statement was supported by four more newly elected deputies (Iryna Suslova, Andriy Nemyrovskyi, Oleksii Kuzmenko and Ruslan Solodovnikov). Thus, before becoming a parliamentary force, Sadovyi's project demonstrated a new, higher level of 'firing'.

But these internal squabbles did not end there. One of the founders of the party 'Freedom' Yegor Sobolev called Yuriy Derevyanko a 'talented fraud, behind whom stands a huge group draining taxpayers' money'. At the same time Sobolev noted that it was a big mistake to involve him in forming this political force. It is strange how all these figures ended up in one political boat steered by such a 'principled and politically clean' man in front of people Andriy Sadovyi?

Meanwhile, media reported on Derevyanko's ties with ex-deputy from the Party of Regions Vasyl Hureyev. No one doubted either the fact that in 2006 year Yuriy Derevyanko entered the Rada as a member of PPU Anatoliy Kinakh, but under the list of the bloc 'Our Ukraine'. In 2010-2012 years this figure was a member of 'Front for Change' of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, from which he was 'asked' to leave in 2012 for violation of party discipline. And now he decided to seek shelter in a union with 'Self-help'.

What can 'Self-help' really do in the Verkhovna Rada if this is an artificially unnatural formation that will crumble already when the protocols have not yet dried? When deputies running on one team publicly call each other fraudsters, scoundrels and accuse of treason, it becomes clear: 'Self-help' is a virtual project, not capable of working for the benefit of the country in the highest legislative body.

But that's not all. Sources of the publication DePo report that other representatives of 'Self-help' also conduct various centrifugal body movements. According to this information, from 33 potential members of the 'Self-help' faction Sadovyi has control only over nine future deputies. And the first on the list Hanna Hopko allegedly already asks for certain positions. "So she wants to be the head of the 'Self-help' faction, or she proclaims surprising ambitions to work in the government after the formation of the coalition," – say sources.

Now Andriy Sadovyi's political offspring has every chance to become the main source of 'fired' deputies in the new parliament, since this project is artificially created, and its participants are not united by a common ideological base or at least a single center of influence.

Professional chameleonism

21 October, the leader of 'Self-help' Andriy Sadovyi visited Ivano-Frankivsk. There he warmly met with a candidate for deputy in Ivano-Frankivsk Oleksandr Shevchenko, who was previously seen in vote-buying, as regional media and the Opora network reported. Sadovyi's meeting was not accidental, because Oleksandr Shevchenko belongs to the 'Privat' group of Ihor Kolomoyskyi. Sources say that very close ties connect this oligarchic force with the mayor of Lviv.

Being in the Carpathians, Andriy Sadovyi allowed himself to say that "bandits have seized power in Ivano-Frankivsk and are robbing the city." This caused natural indignation of the local authorities. Representatives of 21-NGO and Ivano-Frankivsk mayor Viktor Anushkevychus signed a letter expressing their anger at Sadovyi's statements about the city's authorities.

The authors of the appeal emphasize that the image of Sadovyi as a 'professional manager' is artificial and molded with the help of his own media. After all, one of the main indicators of the state of the economy in any city is its investment activity. Indeed, the volumes of direct foreign investment in 2013 year in Ivano-Frankivsk were 140,9 million dollars, in the first half of 2014 year – 139,5 million dollars, while in Lviv this indicator was 16,1. 87% of preschool children in Ivano-Frankivsk are covered by preschool education, while in Lviv this figure is 68%.

"Sadovyi, as the leader of the 'Self-help' association, in his address states that people understood that Yanukovych is driving the country into an abyss." I wonder if the mayor of Lviv, Mr. Andriy Sadovyi, understood this in 2011 year when in Foros, in the circle of the closest associates of the then president of Ukraine from the Party of Regions, he greeted Yanukovych on his birthday?

Every day we see Sadovyi on different channels of our TV where he advertises his union 'Self-help', although one second of political advertising on central channels now costs from 400 to 2 thousand hryvnias. For a minute of political advertising – more than 100 thousand hryvnias. Each ad block is repeated dozens of times per day and on many different channels. One billboard costs from 2 to 8 thousand hryvnias. The country is littered with them. So where do these funds come from?", – the document emphasizes.

The answers from cunning Andriy Sadovyi to these concrete facts are absent. As well as to how close and mutually beneficial were the relations between the Party of Regions and the mayor of Lviv during preparation for Euro-2012. Probably, because the founder of the 'Self-help' project has nothing to answer. After all, there is no way to wring out of here. However, the natural propensity for political and professional chameleonism seems to have always been a strong trump card for Andriy Sadovyi.

"Self-help" as an oligarchic project

An analysis of the 'Self-help' coalition list for the Verkhovna Rada elections shows that its candidates for deputies are a collage of people with different views. It is notable that most of them have nothing to do with politics, but are connected with business in some way: they are directors or employees of private firms, managers and lawyers of various funds. Probably 'Self-help' has not heard of the principle of separating power from business. So what can be expected from a supposedly new political force if it adheres to old approaches in politics?

There are persistent rumors that 'Self-help' is actively funded by oligarchs, in particular Ihor Kolomoyskyi, who seeks to gain control over the Ukrainian parliament. The grounds to assert this do exist. For how else to explain the fact that Andriy Sadovyi and his team hardly left the TV screens of the channel 1+1, which is controlled by this group? From where the enormous money for the nationwide campaign for a project that a few months ago was unknown to anyone? Could there be sponsorship from oligarchs who want to make parliament their pocket organ?

And the program of 'Self-help' resembles more a set of wonderful slogans, pleasing to the ear, than a serious document. It contains interesting wishes, some borrowed from other parties (time to unite, decentralization, lustration, etc.). Yet there is no fullness of the picture or structure. It is hard to understand what political orientation this strange union has—the right, left, liberal, or simply non-aligned?

Nevertheless, it is already clear that the declaration of the 'Self-help' list will not be fulfilled. For it stated that "all participants will agree to create in the Verkhovna Rada of the next convocation a joint parliamentary faction with the participation of all – both deputies elected on the 'Self-help' Association list, and deputies nominated by signatory parties elected in majoritarian districts".

As the events of the last days showed, candidates for deputy from the effectively mutated abnormal political offspring of Andriy Sadovyi, even before receiving mandates, have already quarrelled. And some of its participants are much more worried about their future fortunes than about the fate of Ukraine. So what about any effective and persistent work of this motley group in the Verkhovna Rada? The answer is obvious.

Petro Herasimenko, 'Vgolos'