My year — my Day

Yurii USHCHAPOVSKY, associate professor at the Department of Economic Theory at Zhytomyr State Technological University

1. “The year 2007 was very uneven, and I remember it because of the confrontation between the two political camps. I don’t think that our state benefited economically from this. But the dissolution of the totally corrupt Verkhovna Rada and the new parliamentary elections are a step towards forming a civil society in Ukraine. This was an important political event, but generally the past year was grey. I regret the wasted time because the government’s activity was rather inefficient. Last year was also big in traffic housing, utilities, and mining accidents, which prove that the main capital is somewhat worn out and there is a need for serious innovative changes in the economy.”

2. “I am very pleased that in 2007 I managed to acquire a large number of new friends in eastern Ukraine. My business and scholarly contacts have broadened. I am glad that nice, kind, and intelligent people crossed my path: communicating with them inspires me with optimism about the future. And the more I learn about Ukraine, the more I like it. Therefore, if I judge 2007 with regard to myself, it was not a fruitless year. I discovered Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhia in a different way for myself.”

3. “Most of all I like The Day’s columns History and I and Ukraina Incognita. I am very grateful to the newspaper for the broad range of articles devoted to the great tragedy of the Ukrainian people, the Holodomor. I remember the articles by the historian Stanislav Kulchytsky “The Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide.” I am also grateful to The Day for focusing attention on James Mace, on whom I would confer the title of Hero of Ukraine if I were the president of Ukraine, instead of this award being bestowed left and right on people who are barely known or respected in Ukrainian society. This question is particularly important to me because my family suffered during the Holodomor. I bow down before Mace’s heartwarming personality. I recall Oxana Pachlowska’s article “James Mace and his mission: victory over a great fear.” I remember other articles by this author, in particular “The suicide project.” I recall the articles about the heroic struggle of Ukraine’s finest sons and daughters, who fought in the ranks of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, especially the series of articles about Roman Shukhevych, “I will never be old,” and an article by Taras Chukhlib “Goodbye, my Odesa,” which focused on the erection of a monument to Catherine II in Ukraine. I like the political views of Vadym Karasiov. I think the newspaper’s analytical articles on economic issues are substandard.”

4. “People often wish for what they lack. So, first of all, I would like to wish Ukrainians optimism and belief in their own strength. God has granted Ukraine powerful weapons, like the Ukrainian word. Unfortunately, the slogan that was proclaimed in the early 1990s, “The power of the people lies in unity. Lord, grant us unity,” is a traditional one. I want Ukrainians never to forget that they possess a weapon known as the word. Therefore, I wish for Ukrainians to be enamored of their mother tongue. And, of course, I wish them all the things that one usually wishes people on New Year’s Day: love, wellbeing, and luck in their lives. Good luck to all of us!”

Maksym AVKSENTIEV, head of the sociological service at the Donetsk Institute of Social Studies and Political Analysis:

1. “I would single out three events of the year, which marked the key trends. In my opinion, these tendencies are rather positive. First and fore most, this is the peaceful resolution of the political conflict in the state, w hich reflected the politicians’ genuine desire to reach mutual understanding and to form a viable system of power. The test of strength was c omplicated. Therefore the result is even more significant. By the end of t he year the conflict was moved to a more or less constructive course on a higher level.

“Ukraine and Poland’s victory in the competition to host the Euro-20 12 championship was no less significant. The preparations for holding such an event will be a good shakeup and shock therapy for management structures and the system of adopting resolutions.

“I would like to single out another phenomenon: the simultaneous publication of different versions of Ukraine’s development strategy by several analytical centers and the intensification of the dialogue concerning concepts of its development. Despite a certain conjuncture, these projects have generally proven that a certain threshold had been reached, after which the number of ambitions shift to pragmatics. Politicians started paying more attention to strategy, offering thei r own projects, and criticizing their opponents’ achievements (or their ab sence). And this is good. The most difficult thing remains: the step-by-st ep realization of these projects and a constructive discussion of controversial aspects.”

2. “For me personally, this year was complicated but interesting. I a m pleased that our institute’s analytical projects launched the year befor e were successfully completed and widely publicized. Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to implement many ideas from 2007, which are linked t o the realization of a large-scale dialogue between business and government. In this case, the impact of political vagueness was apparent to a great extent. However, I am not dramatizing this, and I hope to p ut into effect what has already been planned in the nearest future.”

3. “I would like to wish all Ukrainians a chance to live in peace and qui et. I think that each of us needs this after so many years of confrontation. After having learned to be attentive to what is taking place, we shoul d learn to take a rest from it, after having learned to speak and defend ou r own truth, we ought to stop, be silent, and listen to other people’s truth.

This may be what the Apostle Paul preached: to see one’s own stars of h ope, to find faith in love and the spirit of silence.”

Natalia IONYK, head of the department of organizational work and internal communications, Modern-Ekspo Company, Lutsk:

1. “I remember few events. I must have developed immunity to information, especially political. However, my top rating goes to the dissolution of parliament and the early elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, not with a view to guarantees of social changes but the potential for changes. The number-two event is the rise of inflation. I admit that after the price of certain products increased, some things that were forgotten came back to mind, and I felt fear about the future. Panicky ideas come to mind (‘What will happen if this process continues?’) and I have an incredible desire to stock up on supplies. The statements by the finance minister, like ‘Buy cabbage because it’s cheaper,’ have barely reassured anyone, to put it mildly, or raised the authority of the former government. The third event was the sudden drop of the dollar in the world market. It broke all records, compared to the euro, and fell to an absolute minimum of 1.4967 dollars to the euro during the entire existence of the European currency. The pricing policy of the National Bank of Ukraine has strengthened the euro, which suits exporter-producers and average citizens who had believed the forecasts and transferred their savings into this currency. The sudden changes in the rates have proved that Ukrainians have managed to cope with this, and the consequences of the panic are not so impressive, as speculators had thought. The number-four event is the dynamics of rising housing prices and demand. Since I don’t own a house, I am constantly observing the situation in the housing market. And since the previous years proved that real estate in Ukraine is now the most profitable investment, I am sure that most of the population is now monitoring the market situation. The public has observed some stagnation here and is waiting to see whether there will be a price drop, as announced earlier, or whether housing prices will continue to grow.”

2. “For me personally, 2007 was a successful year in the professional sense. I succeeded in realizing most of my plans and acquiring new experience that will be useful for me in the future. It is gratifying to note that my success was noticed by my employer: I was given two raises in 2007. I confirmed the saying, ‘Everyone creates his/her own luck’ and I try to work to the maximum degree of my strength.”

3. “I must admit that The Day has strengthened its status as ‘a ray of enlightenment.’ The Day is not simply the brand name of a daily newspaper. Rather, it is one of the engines of social development. Out of all the special features I remember the Lutsk photo exhibit of competition works at Volyn National University. This is probably because photographs that you see up close are perceived differently from those published in newspapers.

“I would have to single out the reports by my fellow countrywoman Natalia Malimon from our ‘small fatherland’ — a free village that was built by Ukrainians in the Voronezh region. Her warm and somewhat nostalgic notes are one example of The Day’s enlightening function because Malimon’s essays make us stop, look around, recollect who we are, and become distracted for awhile. I liked the report from Japan by the Volhynian-born editor of The Day, Larysa Ivshyna, who noted the common features of the Ukrainian and Japanese mentalities, beliefs, and customs, and the reasons why Japan and Ukraine went their separate paths. This type of article helps us understand our own history better than a textbook.”

4. “‘Your heart holds both paradise and hell.’ I am not sure about the precise quote from the Bible. In my opinion, it reflects the importance of a person’s role in realizing his or her desire to be happy. I would like everyone to act, understand, believe, and realize themselves.”