Polish MP Marcin Swiecicki said Ukraine is in a better position than Poland was 25 years ago when it broke away from communism. Swiecicki was in Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s cabinet, the first prime minister post-communism.
“In Poland in ’89, we really didn’t have any experience in self-government,” he said. “Except for the prewar experience, of course. But that was more than 40 years earlier, so there weren’t many people who remembered it. There were maybe three specialists on local self-government in Poland.”
Poland had to start from scratch and work its way up to heal from communism. Swiecicki said Ukraine will not have the same problem since the men and women in the interim government have the experience needed to move forward.
“Ukraine, I would say, is much better prepared, because they’re experienced with local government,” he said. “Even if [that government] is broken and not fully-formed – nevertheless, they’ve accumulated a lot of experience. They know what the problems are.”
Russia-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by Parliament on February 22 after three months of protests in Kiev. Pro-West Ukrainians were upset he chose a bailout from and closer ties to Russia instead of a trade deal with the European Union. Petro Poroshenko was elected on May 25 as Ukraine’s fifth president, taking over the role from interim President Oleksandr Turchynov. Arseniy Yatsenyuk was appointed prime minister, and he vows to work closely with Poroshenko. His experience will be essential for Poroshenko.
Swiecicki was sent to Kyiv by Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski to help the government decentralize power. One of the main demands of the protesters was more power to the regions. Yatsenyuk told east Ukraine, which is home to many ethnic Russians and Russian speakers, that decentralization will be part of the new constitution. Poroshenko made the same promise. From RFERL:
Desperate to preserve Ukraine’s national unity, the newly elected president, Petro Poroshenko, has made a priority of addressing resentment in the east, where the Moscow-backed separatists are pushing for federalization – a scheme that many fear could increase Russia’s influence and block Ukraine’s ability to further integrate with Europe or strike new military alliances.
Instead, he and other officials are… pushing for genuine decentralization built on the Polish model, in which up to 40 percent of personal income taxes would be kept in local coffers, and mayors and city councils would be given greater say in how to use local budgets.
However, Swiecicki thinks it might be too late for the east.
“Now it’s difficult to communicate with these people,” he said. “But nevertheless, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and Deputy Prime Minister [Volodymyr] Groysman are constantly repeating, ‘Listen, regions, we will give you autonomy for your decisions. You will have your own finances, based on your own fiscal basis.’ This is a very important part of the solution of the political crisis.”
On May 11, Donetsk and Luhansk held a referendum and the leaders claimed more than 90% of the residents voted for independence from Ukraine, even though there were reportedly numerous voting violations. Slaviansk and Luhansk residents face daily fights between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russians. Families are fleeing Slaviansk on a daily basis; those who cannot leave seek shelter in their basements.
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