A Word of Advice for Kyrylenko: 2+2 does not = 9, but 4
October 13, 2008 – 9:26 amVyacheslav Kyrylenko – 2+2 = 4. Please remember this strategically important piece of mathematical advice! 2+2 does not equal 5, 6 or even 9!
Kyrylenko heads the party of which the president is honorary chairman, Peoples Union-Our Ukraine (PU-OU), and therefore had to support the presidents position in not backing the creation of an enlarged orange coalition.
This is where I fail to understand Kyrylenko’s next step? Please remember that I believe (like Ukrainian voters) that 2+2=4.
Kyrylenko repeatedly stated before the September crisis and since the disbanding of parliament that the PU-OU would NEVER join a coalition with the Party of Regions. Let us all shout “hurrah!” for such a principled position in Ukrainian politics!
How will Kyrylenko then explain to Ukrainian voters that 2+2=9 after PU-OU’s honorary chairman, Viktor Yushchenko, supports a grand coalition that unites pro-presidential forces, such as PU-OU, with the Party of Regions.
The parliament elected in pre-term elections in December (or later) will have the same five factions as the outgoing parliament. This means that using standard mathematics there will be only two coalition possibilities: orange and two variants of grand (BYuT+Regions or Pro-Yushchenko forces+Regions).
Kyrylenko, the head of PU-OU, rules out a coalition with Regions while Yushchenko, the honorary chairman of PU-OU, supports a coalition with Regions.
Yushchenko supports a grand coalition after pre-term elections because he detests Tymoshenko (which rules out a return to orange coalition), he wants to demand that his technocratic candidate is proposed as prime minister and he wants to demand that the grand coalition supports his presidential candidacy for a second term.
Will Kyrylenko agree to his honorary chairman’s wishes for a coalition with Regions and ignore his earlier protestations that he will never join a coalition with Regions?
In doing so will Kyrylenko apologise to Ukrainian voters for having lied to them and betrayed his principles?
Will he also apologise to Tymoshenko and BYuT for double standards in attacking their alleged plans to join a coalition with Regions while agreeing to do the same himself?
Lastly, will Kyrylenko describe the grand coalition that his honorary chairman demands PU-OU enters with Regions as a “Pro-Kremlin coalition”?
Kyrylenko may continue to think, despite nearly two decades in politics that 2+2=9 but Ukrainian voters have long known that 2+2=4. In continuing to believe that 2+2=9 Ukirainian politicians like Kyrylenko (and his boss, President Yushchenko) have failed to take in the lessons of the orange revolution that Ukrainian voters are not idiots.