Political Update, Ministry Update
Many of us have been keeping at least one eye on the political situation. It's not quite like in the States, when it doesn't significantly matter if a Republican or Democrat is elected (sorry if that offends any of my readers' sensitive political ears but when you have lived with concern for possible civil war or a brutal military crackdown, it helps you to understand that American politics is not quite like the politics of emerging democracies).
So we have been paying attention to the incredible decision of the president to dissolve parliament. Just late tonight the Constitutional Court agreed to consider the case but gave no timetable as to when they will rule on whether or not the president is within his constitutional right to dissolve parliament for the reasons he gave in his decree.
After Ukraine's Orange Revolution, I came to believe without any further doubt that the mainstream western news media--like major US networks and the AP--report Ukrainian news with the wrong slant. The BBC, by the way, does a much better job. It's not that US news organs sensationalize events here; it's that they seem to be constantly hung up on this mantra of "it's the people for the West versus the people influenced by Russia." This mantra communicates that Ukraine is nothing but a part of the chessboard with Bush vs. Putin. And Ukraine is just the board, the playing field, and Ukrainians and Ukrainian national interests just don't really come into play. The Russians would like to believe that's true, maybe the West believes it a little less, but it's just not what this is about. Why are political leaders constantly defined by the Western news media as being pro-Western or pro-Russia as if that's all that matters? It's more complicated than that, people. Yes, the West and Russia are involved. So are issues of nationalism, ethnic identity, major competing Ukrainian business interests, the fading influence of Communists, etc. Just like in America, politics is complicated.
This week politicians have been maneuvering, but basically the parties are beginning to prepare for the early elections. The Orange teams have called on their supporters not to take it to the streets. The "blue people" (Ukrainian readers will catch my joke there)--those who support the prime minister and the current majority in parliament--have been bussed in from eastern Ukraine to hold protests in imitation of the Orange Revolution protests. Of course, there are only a few thousand people there (as opposed to the 400,000+ who created the Orange Revolution) and most of the protesting is highly orchestrated by the prime minister's party. Many protesters claim they are being paid $20 a day to protest. Mostly, people are going about their business waiting to see what the Constitutional Court will do. Many have just lost interest in politics are thinking more about the long Easter weekend than politics.
We had a wonderful and long ministry meeting Wednesday night and we had a long ministry event tonight at the church building. It's good to see things moving forward. There are many bumps along the way, though.
Natalya came to the ministry event tonight. It was very good to see her. Because of some delays, only on Wednesday did she receive the fourth chemotherapy treatment. She had had quite an adventure trying to get the cash to pay for the treatment. She ended up borrowing some money from her daughter because the safe at the church building, that holds the money the church was supposed to be giving her, couldn't be opened. Something broke on it and it requires a special tool. But she was delighted to here that there will be funds for her next treatment, thanks in part to several of you who read the blog. Thank you.
So we have been paying attention to the incredible decision of the president to dissolve parliament. Just late tonight the Constitutional Court agreed to consider the case but gave no timetable as to when they will rule on whether or not the president is within his constitutional right to dissolve parliament for the reasons he gave in his decree.
After Ukraine's Orange Revolution, I came to believe without any further doubt that the mainstream western news media--like major US networks and the AP--report Ukrainian news with the wrong slant. The BBC, by the way, does a much better job. It's not that US news organs sensationalize events here; it's that they seem to be constantly hung up on this mantra of "it's the people for the West versus the people influenced by Russia." This mantra communicates that Ukraine is nothing but a part of the chessboard with Bush vs. Putin. And Ukraine is just the board, the playing field, and Ukrainians and Ukrainian national interests just don't really come into play. The Russians would like to believe that's true, maybe the West believes it a little less, but it's just not what this is about. Why are political leaders constantly defined by the Western news media as being pro-Western or pro-Russia as if that's all that matters? It's more complicated than that, people. Yes, the West and Russia are involved. So are issues of nationalism, ethnic identity, major competing Ukrainian business interests, the fading influence of Communists, etc. Just like in America, politics is complicated.
This week politicians have been maneuvering, but basically the parties are beginning to prepare for the early elections. The Orange teams have called on their supporters not to take it to the streets. The "blue people" (Ukrainian readers will catch my joke there)--those who support the prime minister and the current majority in parliament--have been bussed in from eastern Ukraine to hold protests in imitation of the Orange Revolution protests. Of course, there are only a few thousand people there (as opposed to the 400,000+ who created the Orange Revolution) and most of the protesting is highly orchestrated by the prime minister's party. Many protesters claim they are being paid $20 a day to protest. Mostly, people are going about their business waiting to see what the Constitutional Court will do. Many have just lost interest in politics are thinking more about the long Easter weekend than politics.
We had a wonderful and long ministry meeting Wednesday night and we had a long ministry event tonight at the church building. It's good to see things moving forward. There are many bumps along the way, though.
Natalya came to the ministry event tonight. It was very good to see her. Because of some delays, only on Wednesday did she receive the fourth chemotherapy treatment. She had had quite an adventure trying to get the cash to pay for the treatment. She ended up borrowing some money from her daughter because the safe at the church building, that holds the money the church was supposed to be giving her, couldn't be opened. Something broke on it and it requires a special tool. But she was delighted to here that there will be funds for her next treatment, thanks in part to several of you who read the blog. Thank you.
posted by Kyivmission at 1:46 AM
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