Cultivating weakness

The election campaign has already kick-started, but society still remains indifferent to the struggle for power. The proof of this is a total disappointment and apathy of the population’s active stratum as well as the attempt of political forces to gain votes by way of bribery, pressure, and falsifications. They are trying to win voters’ support by means of not only ration bags, but also promises to raise pensions and other state benefits, which shows orientation to low-income groups and exemptees. Yet politicians do not seem to be interested in the middle class. None of the parties has put forward any slogans aimed at simplifying the registration of a business or reducing taxation rates for small and medium business. Nobody promises university graduates employment by profession. The prospective MPs have utterly forgotten about the development of science and culture. The Day invited Andrii BAUMEISTER, Candidate of Sciences (Philosophy), lecturer at the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, to discuss the causes of these phenomena.

Mr. Baumeister, the election campaign is in full swing now. But society is beset with problems and has in fact lost confidence in any elections. To what extent are people prepared to elect an efficient government?

“In reality, we still do not know what an efficient government is because we have no examples or reference points. So the Ukrainians have to be guided by slogans and talk show speeches.

“At the same time, the voter thinks that dishonesty is quite acceptable for a politician. When debating on wide-scale bribery in politics, people often confess that if they were civil servants, they would be doing the same. Whenever a new generation comes to politics, it sticks to the previous rules of the game.

“All that we can hope for is pressure of one political force on another and a radical change of power. If this does not occur, the political and legal aspects will slip to the background and society will come into play.

“As for the voters, one should not overestimate the ability of an ordinary individual to know all the ins and outs in politics. To be able to do so, one must closely follow the government’s actions and compare their deeds with their slogans. Here the mass media come into play. They should explain more clearly to the public that someone’s real actions run counter to his or her promises. But even this will not keep some people from voting for a dishonest politician. Society still exists on a sensual, not rational, psychological level.

“We have been electing poets, political scientists, economists, lawyers, and businesspeople – it is the practice of search. Now we are going to try out sportsmen and actors. Yet a politician’s successfulness does not depend on their profession. What really matters is personal qualities. Firstly, it is responsibility and awareness that being part of the authorities is not an instrument for self-sufficiency. In this country, politics is a big game and parliamentary membership is a golden time, when you can do nothing and receive considerable infusions of capital. Secondly, one must know how to analyze things – at least a little. Politicians do not need to be incredibly wise, but they should know how to ponder their actions, like in chess, at least for two or three moves ahead. And, finally, it is a fair name, when you can see that you won’t sell yourself even for a large amount of money. That is all you need. For all the other matters, there are advisers and experts in specific fields.”

Can the Ukrainian political class offer effective leaders?

“A leader is, first of all, a biography. Most of the top officials are former party and Komsomol functionaries or those who rose in the 1990s. Although the life story of Yulia Tymoshenko is not always transparent, there are some real deeds on her record. Now the imprisoned ex-premier continues to create her biography. As people not always make a rational choice, they come under the influence of some facts in the biography of certain individuals who used to take on responsibility and risk something. The people who have not been supporting her before are now sympathizing with her, for they think she is in dire straits for adhering to an idea.

“In general, if the opposition comes to power, it should carry out decentralization. The center should only oversee the regions and pursue the domestic and foreign policy. An opportunity to self-organize at the local level would pave she way up for successful executives in the provinces.”

Do voters always remember the biography of the people they elect?

“Short memory is a common human trait. As the cultural tradition and memory exist at a level that is far from the bulk of society, this creates the problem of keeping historical memory in the nearest 20 to 30 years. So somebody must keep reminding people of the way things used to be. In this respect, the mass media perform the function of a watchtower of sorts. The press must constantly exert pressure and, at the same time, ensure that memory is handed down from generation to generation.”

Taking into account the problems which society faces on the eve of the elections, who can be considered as a moral role model? Do we have this kind of people?

“‘Moral role model’ is word combination from a good tradition of the past. Havel, Chornovil, and Solzhenitsyn lived at a time when a human word or deed was more influential. There are also a lot of good people now, but they are not being invited anywhere or shown on television. There is a life on the ground level, where the alternative is very simple: ‘for’ and ‘against.’ But the real life – development of the sciences, liberal arts, and culture – is on a different tier. There are worthy people in other spheres, too. They meet at roundtables and communicate in Facebook, i.e., they interact actively.

“The problem is that it is very difficult now to win respect. The root cause of this behavior is the overall context of upbringing: people, especially young ones, are used to doing everything quickly and dynamically and, hence, do not have the habit of listening to or watching something for a long time. For them, this habit is as outdated as writing by hand or reading books.”

And what about the role of religious mentors? We know examples when the church took part in political campaigning.

“There are icons and religious trappings in the office rooms of many officials. This means that, although religion is separated from politics, it is an instrument of the latter designed for creating an atmosphere of trust.

“We can also see an attempt to popularize the modern-day idea of a Russian World. It should be noted that such a notion as ‘Holy Rus’ was not linked to any political ambitions and, for this reason, is steadily losing support among the Ukrainians. We have our own Church Council which defends the interests of each group that is part of it. This council is a European model of topmost-level communication. The Moscow Patriarchate in its turn does not know how to deal with this community, for it wants to be above it and to be able to wield exclusive pro-governmental clout. Yet none of the churches has ever managed to gain a priority or a monopoly. Taking into account the number of denominations on the territory of our state, we cannot possibly avoid a dialogue. By force of this, Ukraine stands a chance to become a model of religious tolerance for entire Europe.”

Journalist Vitalii Portnikov said recently on a visit to The Day’s editorial office that the state, in its present-day shape, would crumble in the future and people would have to forsake paternalism – there will be no social benefits. But there are examples of European countries which provide social security for their citizens. What do you think is the rational measure of paternalism for Ukrainian society?

“First of all, we should distinguish between paternalism and what Portnikov says. The pattern he suggests will be tantamount to refusal from civilization. Besides, I remember the transitional period in Ukraine, when there were coupons instead money and hard currency was out of the question. But even at that time nobody shouted that everything was ruining. We have a sufficient margin of safety to exist in difficult conditions.

“As for paternalism, it will exist in this country as long as politicians themselves maintain it. Governmental leaders pursue the policy of dividing, not creating, the potential. The error of both the current and the previous leadership is orientation to passive individuals – laws and policies are aimed at none other than them.

“Active citizens are, first of all, those who rely on themselves alone and can offer something to others. The authorities should properly manage the available human potential and devise mechanisms which will allow individuals to realize and maintain themselves on their own. In that case, there would be no need in huge budgets for funding social programs.

“For example, the sphere of culture has long existed off the limits of paternalism: it survives at the expense mini-grants or self-funding. The current leadership has shown its attitude to the language and culture, but what did the previous one do? Where are lexicons, dictionaries, state-sponsored publications of Ukrainian classics or Ukrainian translations of foreign literature? Those who care about book publication in Ukraine are either foreign foundations, which are now discontinuing the funding (the Soros Foundation, for example), or other publishing houses. I know that the newspaper Den has a library of its own.”

Ukraine recently celebrated the 21st anniversary of independence. To what extent free do you think our country is?

“I must say that one of the features of our mentality is infantilism. Reflecting on our independence, we always say that this country is within the grip of certain forces and mechanisms. Yet we are doing our best not to be active citizens. The point is that we do not have a normal political life. Due to the absence of a good diplomatic corps, we always lose in diplomatic debates.

“But we do have a positive dependence on universal norms and rules. Unlike Russia, where the EU’s influence is not so strong, Ukraine is very sensitive to the attitude of Europe and, particularly, the values that it cherishes. We are deprived of the strength, self-confidence and natural resources which our eastern neighbor has and, therefore, cannot afford to disregard the position of the West. Ukraine has always to prove its position and have a dialogue with the European Union. Any censure on the part of Europe is for Ukraine a problem of its future, survival, and competitiveness.

“We should follow the example of the countries that have achieved success even though they used to be far behind. Turkey is now one of the leading economies, life is good in Poland, Latin America is developing at a fast pace. Relying on their own resources and citizens, they have taken a step forward.”