For some reason the speeches of our political leaders seldom mention a definition that citizens expect, namely the current and future goal toward which we are moving and that should serve as an inspiration on this road. When such statements are made, liberal values are mentioned among other democratic values. What are these so-called liberal values?
The word liberal means “free” and liberalism is characterized as free thinking, the expansion of political and civil rights and liberties, and even a friendly, indulgent attitude to negative phenomena on the governmental level. On this basis the doctrine of liberalism was born, and the parliamentary system, free enterprise, and democratic liberties are germane to it.
Has this trend been evident in Ukrainian public and political life? I cannot mention a notable figure in the history of our country, nor an influential political party that has professed and championed such views. But certain things come to mind.
Taras Shevchenko wrote a poem entitled “P.S.” in which he conveys his impressions of a meeting with Petro Skoropadsky, the descendant of Hetman Ivan Skoropadsky. The author condemns the lifestyle of the Chernihiv liberal landlord. We see another liberal landlord, Arkadii Malyna, in Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky’s story “The Horses Are Not to Blame,” in which the author satirically unmasks the true essence of liberal landlords.
Among our historical personalities we should first mention Mykhailo Drahomanov, who founded the liberal trend in Ukrainian political thought. The members of the Central Rada were socialists by conviction, but they were also influenced by liberalism. Thus, they considered that they did not need an army at all because they were not going to fight anybody. When they finally set about correcting their mistake, it was too late, and they lost their war against Bolshevik Russia.
Needless to say, any manifestation of liberalism was out of the question under the Soviets, but after the proclamation of Ukrainian national independence in 1991 this trend came alive and is gaining strength, and the leadership of Ukraine is embracing it. The omnipotence of a single party and rigid regimentation of industry and public life are receding into the past, and the market is becoming increasingly important.
The political views of the leaders of the economy, enterprises, and the financial-banking system are wide- ranging. Some remain faithful to the Communist Party system; others have joined newly formed parties, while others are immersed in business.
Nationally conscious builders of the new, independent Ukraine are in the minority. That is why we have strayed from the main direction in our development, which was pointed out to us by our leaders, starting with the folk philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda and such national luminaries as Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, and Lesia Ukrainka. Their ideal was a national democratic republic in which social equality rules, and everyone has an opportunity to reveal their knowledge and abilities
After winning independence, our most important objective became the construction of a state; we had to solve many new problems that required discussions and debate. One issue concerned the rights of the individual. This liberal principle acquired an unlimited character and turned out to be aimed at satisfying primarily one’s own needs.
Here I must mention parliament whose main activity is to adopt laws. If jurists and bureaucrats reach an agreement, everything is fine, there are no differences. But when it comes to assuming responsibility for one violation or another, we hear the categorical reply: “There is no pertinent law.” This is true: we do not have laws that would punish those who pollute the land, air, and water; for unauthorized construction projects in nature preserves and on the banks of rivers and lakes; for illegal immigrants whose numbers are increasing with each passing year, and many others.
Today, the political processes unfolding in Ukraine are analyzed by political scientists, institutes, civic organizations, and parties. In their findings and predictions now and then you can spot issues relating to people’s material security. Suppose we define people’s salaries as a component of liberalism. A large proportion of the employed are paid comparatively low salaries, while the pensions of many retired people are even smaller. This is what liberalism looks like in Ukraine. You will not find such stratification of the population, such an abyss between the poor and the rich in any country where there are hallmarks of a liberal ideology. Perhaps we should ask international trade-union organizations for help.
Speakers at the latest Grand Assembly of the OUN presented a rather well argued idea to the effect that today we are faced with the ideological fiasco of the Ukrainian version of liberalism. This is true. The Maidan ideals have been forgotten; they have turned out to be unnecessary for those who only recently issued promises, like “The rich will share their wealth with the poor” and “Prison for bandits.” Therefore, assuming moral responsibilities toward the members of our society and implementing them is a distant dream. The state should have its own national values given to it by nature and created by past generations over the many hundreds of years of our history. We have them! The press is again reporting the intention to create a new right liberal or left liberal party. The initiators seem to have everything they need, except liberal ideas — but without such ideas it simply won’t work. They believe that they have found a panacea for all our hardships and problems, but those are not drugs for every situation in life. They don’t exist.
Perhaps it would be better to create a neo-liberal party? This concept exists. It emerged in the US, where it is known as the Chicago School. Or maybe we should borrow some of the latest foreign theories? Then there would be nothing to prevent our success. This way we could spend a long time choosing between things, like a group of musicians who have just learned the basic techniques and want to start an orchestra right away, except that to achieve harmony in their playing they decided to change places rather than study.
Wouldn’t it be better to achieve a certain shift in our life and not lag behind our neighbors, other countries; to start raising young people, the rising generation in the national spirit; to be concerned for our language, culture, and the church; to respect folk customs and know our own traditions? Without all this we are doomed to backwardness, decay, and degeneration, and this despite the fact that we have such glorious predecessors. Their rich heritage contains the answers to all the questions that trouble us today.
