Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s trip to Ukraine this week was accompanied by the usual fanfare. Talk was of how bilateral trade was up and it was all because of the correct policies toward Russia of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
But at the press conference at the end of a day of meetings, the elephant in the room was once again natural gas. Since Putin on an earlier visit suggested merging Russian state energy company Gazprom with its Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz, negotiations have been going on behind closed doors about what form cooperation will take. Each side has made statements in public, but only as a part of negotiating tactics, rather than to keep people informed. Analysts, journalists and the public have been left Kremlin-watching, trying to figure out what’s going on in this critical area that could affect Ukraine’s energy security for many years to come.
It seems that, as in the past, deals are being brokered in the background, and citizens will not know anything about them, or be able to influence them in any way.
Then, when the leaders see fit, the deal will be revealed as a fait accompli. An agreement, of course, could already have been reached, but the authorities may not want to harm their chances in the upcoming local elections. A deal to give Russia a stake in Ukraine’s crown jewel – the gas pipeline – would surely not be a vote winner.
The same is true of the much-maligned draft tax code. The final version is not set to be revealed until after the Oct. 31 elections. No surprises there – it has turned from a potential public relations coup to a disaster, with criticism that it does nothing to ease the tax burden on small- and medium-sized businesses.
When the government feels the need to conceal what it is doing and what it is discussing from the public, it creates a climate of suspicion. What are they hiding?
Even worse, it suggests that they know the public would not be pleased with what they are doing. In that case, the more pertinent question is: Who are they ruling for?
