– It was the end of winter 2001. Then in several regions it was decided to conduct an experiment to completely destroy the opposition, including in Volyn. There were statements by city and district heads in the media who condemned the activities of our party organization. At that time we had about three thousand party members. The most steadfast remained – several hundred loyal party members, mainly ordinary citizens. In some districts only a few dozen party members remained at all. But thanks to precisely such patriots we began to rebuild the regional party organization anew. We didn't just work – we fought. It was precisely from that time that we united into the opposition.
We passed our first exam in the 2002 parliamentary elections, when Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc took second place relative to the total number of voters in the region. Now we have more than seven and a half thousand party members. And this is despite the fact that we were in opposition. The Volyn delegation was one of the most numerous when on September 16, 2002 there was the people's uprising under the slogan "For Ukraine without Kuchma." Volyn residents suffered the most: some were beaten, arrested. Persecution began on the ground. But we defended the demonstrators and people appreciated this.
– The "VO "Batkivshchyna" party is fully associated with Yulia Tymoshenko, who at that time was persecuted on the political order of the authorities by the Prosecutor General's Office. How did you manage to withstand?
– Volyn supported Yulia Tymoshenko, especially when the persecution began, when she was arrested. I have known Yulia Volodymyrivna practically since the beginning of my party membership, and that is already more than four years. We hold dear Yulia Volodymyrivna's aspirations to make Ukraine prosperous and our people wealthy. It was precisely this that prompted us to burn, to fight. The tandem of Viktor Yushchenko as prime minister and Yulia Tymoshenko as deputy prime minister made an economic breakthrough in our country. Then they stopped cutting off electricity, they began paying wages and pensions on time. Programs for improving social security were drawn up, etc. Yulia Volodymyrivna pushed through the Verkhovna Rada a law as a result of which barter deals in the fuel and energy sector were stopped, and this gave the state treasury more than 10 billion hryvnias. But when she got to the coal industry program that would have made it possible to significantly replenish the treasury, on the command of Pinchuk, Medvedchuk, Akhmetov, Kuchma, while abroad, gave the instruction to remove her from her post. I think that now the same tandem – Yushchenko and Tymoshenko – will be able to accomplish what was planned: raise the standard of living of the population, make Ukraine a developed European state. This is what people demanded on Independence Square.
– How do you think Yulia Volodymyrivna's attention as prime minister will now be directed in the economic sphere, how will trust in the new government be won among the population from the East of the country?
– I want to say that the legacy Yanukovych left behind forces the conclusion that if he had become President, we would have had a great tragedy, economic decline, because you can't fill the budget out of thin air. Yulia Volodymyrivna is an economist with a capital E who knows production, finance, and business well. She successfully headed the Budget Committee in the Verkhovna Rada. I think her first step will be to find ways to replenish Ukraine's budget. At the very least, it will be three to four times larger already in a year. I don't think she will follow the path of building a bazaar economy, that is, saturating the budget through fairs, gas stations, bars, etc. Only on the condition of proper functioning of the economy can the budget be filled. From my own experience I want to say that when at one time I was head of a PMK in Kovel, we paid all deductions in the amount of 18 percent, once a year the finance department checked us and there were no complaints. We didn't hide profits. We built housing and exceeded several times over the limits that were set for us, wages reached 600 and more karbovantsi. I think that now we should act in the same direction, so that industry, production, and the agrarian sector start working.
– Yulia Volodymyrivna suffered baseless persecution. Although not a single court found her guilty and she was acquitted. Won't Yulia Volodymyrivna take revenge on those offenders who locked her up in the pretrial detention center?
– Knowing Yulia Volodymyrivna personally, I don't even allow such a thought. Despite everything she had to endure, she did not become aggressive, she is a fairly moderate woman, a balanced politician. She will deal with the duties that are placed on her, and there are enough of them. And let the crimes committed by Kuchma's corrupt authorities be dealt with by the renewed law enforcement agencies and courts.
– I had occasion in 2001 to interview her in Kyiv and she made an impression as a strong personality. What do you know about Yulia Tymoshenko as a person, since interest in her is incredibly high?
– I know Yulia Volodymyrivna well, because I studied her character in that joint difficult work that we carried out. Such relations with subordinates as hers with us, regional leaders, are rarely encountered. When meetings and sessions of the Political Council take place (and I am a member of the Polytrada), Yulia asks us to honestly tell about what is happening in the regions. Conversations after that take place mostly separately with each person. But we know that each of us can count on her support. Her character is demanding. We try not to feel it on ourselves. I believe that her indomitability and determination will help accomplish what our people have waited for so long.
– Yulia Volodymyrivna will be busy with work in the government, and who will deal with party affairs, building the party?
– This is a very interesting question. It will be decided by the party congress, of course, on Yulia Volodymyrivna's proposal. We have formed a stable team, and I am confident that there will be someone to pass the flag of "Batkivshchyna" to. Surely everyone has noticed that young people have been drawn to us. During 2004 we went through a great school, although the regional election headquarters did not properly accept us, ignoring our experience, which would have been very useful. Therefore, from our regional party organization 12 people worked in the headquarters of Donetsk region. We sent observers and precinct members to Crimea, Kharkiv, Kherson.
– It is known that now many have repainted themselves, personnel issues have become extremely topical. After all, both to your party and to the authorities those people will try to get in who often facilitated crimes during elections. But those patriots who supported Yushchenko and Tymoshenko will remain just as unnoticed, because they acted according to conscience. Isn't that so?
– Indeed, now people come to us with various proposals and beat their chests, assure that they will be reliable leaders. But we heard absolutely nothing about them when we were in opposition to the authorities.
After the second round of elections, when we held rallies in Lutsk in support of Independence Square in Kyiv, on the tribune I saw people I did not know and even those who had a negative attitude toward our regional party organization when we were in opposition. When I looked at the composition of the regional branch of the Committee of National Salvation, I gathered my like-minded people and we went to Independence Square on our own, because I could not look at this sacrilege. These people work only for themselves. They have no sense of patriotism, no ideals whatsoever. Some of them have a corrupt past, but they already imagine themselves in the front ranks of the new authorities. And in this there is a real threat. The regional branch of the Committee of National Salvation adopted a decision to appeal to the newly elected head of the regional state administration with the aim of concluding an agreement with him on personnel issues. From the very beginning I demonstratively do not participate in this committee. I cannot sit next to certain opportunists who are part of it. We will do everything so that such people cannot decide personnel issues in Volyn.
It was stipulated that 25 percent is the quota of our political force. These are six regions in Ukraine and every fourth district in Volyn will have our heads and deputies.
– Won't the democratic currents of different parties in our region quarrel over issues of personnel policy? Are you capable of compromise?
– A very difficult question. When I was in Kyiv at seminars at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a representative from Poland through the OSCE said even before the first round of elections that Viktor Andriyovych would win. However, she warned us not to repeat their mistakes. The political force "Solidarity" raised people to mass actions, but as a result of the elections this same political force did not take a single seat in the Sejm. God forbid we make such a mistake. An example of how to select an honest team of like-minded people is shown by President Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko.
The conversation was conducted by Oleksandr NAHORNYI