Yesterday the well-known Ukrainian businessman and politician Petro Poroshenko came to work to the Cabinet Council. After nearly two weeks of consideration he accepted the post of minister of economic development and trade ceded by the current secretary of the Council of National Security and Defense Andrii Kliuiev.
Experts consider the break Poroshenko had taken as time for deliberation. There was a talk that Poroshenko traded his agreement to work to the “white and blue” team he had recently been in the opposition with for the “freedom of the political prisoners” (obviously, that was a mere fantasy of the experts).
In fact, as a governmental source informed The Day, Poroshenko had just taken time for treatment. “He was undergoing a treatment abroad and was not deliberating on anything,” the source emphasized implicating that Poroshenko had no reasons to refuse the post. He is a pragmatic person with a rational thinking. Being in the “noisy” opposition is not a reasonable use of one’s skills, moreover, when one’s interests need to be protected.
He posted on his Facebook page: “Last weeks have been quite difficult for me. The decision I had to make people make probably a couple of times in life and it is hard.” According to Poroshenko, he was helped by “not indifferent people among his friends in Facebook, journalists, experts and politicians.” I weighed my personal political ambitions against the economic situation… I made a decision,” Poroshenko wrote. “I believe that on behalf of the country and not separate political parties at power or in the opposition we have to adopt and realize the clear professional anti-crisis policy in order to minimize these threats since everybody will suffer from the economic crisis.”
Poroshenko presented to the president the suggestions how to change the situation for the better and uploaded them to his Facebook page. In particular, they read that the European values and standards have to become “the principal qualities of Ukraine’s economic policy.” The democratic priorities of development have to become essential in the state policy. Poroshenko is going to implement his policy reforms on the position of minister of economic development and trade through three blocks: economic policy transparence, free entrepreneurship, and efficient use of the resources. He promised to put in order the system of public purchases by making it as simple and transparent as possible, make the national system of index to economic progress meet the European standards and make this information open to the public and investors. Poroshenko, aware of the problems of business climate, promised the entrepreneurs the simplified registration system, “transparent office,” protection from pressure and groundless interference into business. To reduce the “temptation,” he suggested introducing financial responsibility for economic damage. According to Poroshenko, the energy and food markets have to be reformed in the first place. He promised that these two sectors will be the first to meet the European standards and ecological security criteria.
