Faceless
Politics and genetics have always been different spheres if you, of course, do not take into account the Communist Party which used to fight against Weismannists and Morganists as enemies of the people. But scientists are certain today that genes can influence the political behavior of people. You can read about this in the press releases of major Western universities (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100609111312.htm).
But while their laboratories are searching for the structural units of heredity that are responsible for leaning to the left and the right, it is worthwhile to reflect on the role of the personality – not in history but in the daily routine work which the people we elected to top offices are supposed to do.
Why does Viktor Yushchenko hate Yulia Tymoshenko? Why were they suddenly at daggers drawn after a common victory? What force pushed Yurii Lutsenko to rush through a crowded hall to shake hands with the chief hero of the “Ukraine without Kuchma” campaign? What kind of talent allows Petro Poroshenko to hold an office in multicolored governmental cabinets? Is there any human relationship between Viktor Yanukovych and Rinat Akhmetov or is it just “nothing but business”? For what reason does the “needful” Volodymyr Lytvyn periodically vanish in difficult political situations and how does he manage to regain his political ego? What keeps the wise and educated fellow party members from putting an end to shameful escapades of the poorly-educated and stupid ones? I would like to know this “truth about stars” not just to satisfy a man-on-the-street’s curiosity. Aren’t we supposed to know the true motives of politicians’ actions and see the way their personalities are projected against the social background?
Studying the biographies of Ukrainian Olympus old-timers, sifting the verbal trash that the press has dug up from the depths of their professional careers, we find either the “marble-like slick” of lifetime monuments or paint-splattered images. There seem to be no living people with their inherent inclinations and desires. Instead, we see some imaginary characters that obey strange laws and follow instructions of unknown origin. The attempts to humanize these creatures by foisting beehive smokers, tennis rackets, skates, and chessmen on them produce no results, as do the screenshots of them in the company of their household, cute little dogs and other beings that are supposed to stir up positive emotions. Trappings do not reveal the faces of the powers that be, and they contrive to remain faceless, even though they fill TV screens and newspaper front pages.
If Winston Churchill miraculously found himself today as part of the Ukrainian elite, we would be told that he is a skilled mason and landscape painter. This would have left the legendary politician’s personality undisclosed, and, unlike the British, we would have never learned about his passionate nature which is uniquely able to mobilize forces in order to fulfill his wishes, about the depressions that tormented him, and about the particularities of selective memory.
Whatever the case, man is the chief object of politics. Lost in the electoral depths or surfaced, s/he is always interesting as far as fulfillment of plans and doctrines is concerned. And the possibility of revealing the human essence of kings, presidents, premiers, and ministers determines the level of democracy and civilization in society. No matter how hard it is for French President Francois Hollande to speak of ticklish points in his private life, he had to explain away his liaison with journalist Valerie Trierweiler. Likewise, British Premier David Cameron was forced to take a public test on the history of his own country, while Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite had to argue that she was not a lesbian.
There is perhaps not a single political leader in the European Union who has managed to escape a public examination of his or her personal aspects. Country villas and dissertations, royalties and ailments, family woes and individual inclinations are inevitably made public, and, naturally, this “X-raying” is extremely painful. It never passes without leaving a trace for the heroes and their relatives – such is their work and the existing rules. Are the Ukrainian politicians, whose ship’s sails have caught European winds, going to borrow these rules? Or shall we confine ourselves to chats about the economy and use an open market to make up for the closeness of our government? Probably, the amount on subsidies for agricultural products is not at all the number one problem of Ukraine’s integration into the EU.
On the eve of the Eastern Partnership’s Vilnius Summit, analysts are mulling over its likely outcome. What will happen to our homeland and us shortly before Christmas? Shall we abandon the old world? If not, what will be picture of the return of a prodigal daughter to the house of the Customs Union father? The likely scenarios were announced long ago. But both Brussels and Kyiv hardly know the content of the future resolution which is still in the shape of a sketch and a rough copy. Yet, putting aside the motivations of big politicians who will edit the text, we can imagine the summit in personalities. Who will happen to be sitting next to our high-ranking officials? What will be the subjective attitude of European leaders to representatives of our establishment?
The number one person is, naturally, the victorious Angela Merkel, a no-frills female scholar who lives in a modest two-room apartment. Somewhat similar to her is the summit hostess Dalia Grybauskaite, a strong-willed lady who repudiated personal happiness and also came to politics from the academic milieu. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, an aristocrat by birth, related to Belgian Princess Mathilde, is the father of five children who are so far away from politics and father that their photos do not even get into tabloids. Also from the academic milieu is Anibal Cavaco Silva, President of the Portuguese Republic, a prominent economist and promoter of democratic reforms on the African continent. Professor of law Ivan Gasparovic, President of Slovakia… Most of the heads of European states served science and society before being appointed to top offices. Their family members stay away, as a rule, from business and politics. But the top officials themselves are always in touch with the press and have to answer any questions of journalists. Not all of them are of an openhearted nature, and they not always show amiability with smiles and gestures. But they live in plain view of their compatriots, without hiding behind the tall fences of residencies or pressing into the seats of heavily-guarded armored cars that whiz by on the deserted streets. The Europeans can come across their presidents and premiers in pubs and supermarkets, at exhibitions and celebrations. And when they come across one, they are not always able to recognize the walking or cycling ordinary-looking person as leader of their country – one of those who will try to introduce Ukrainian leaders to the common European home at the Vilnius Summit. Let them all have enough imagination…
