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Kolesnichenko: Verkhovna Rada passes language bill

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July 3, 2012, 5:19 p.m. |

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed the bill on the basis of state language policy.
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The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed the bill on the basis of state language policy by 248 votes on Tuesday.

"Yes, [it was passed] as a whole," the author of the document, MP of the Regions Party parliamentary faction Vadym Kolesnichenko said.

The document significantly expands the sphere of use of Russian language.

A brawl broke out between deputies from the opposition and the majority factions before the vote on the bill, following attempts to consider the document in the sitting hall.

As reported by an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, during the evening sitting of the parliament, the presiding First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Adam Martyniuk proposed that MPs vote on bills, including the bill on the basis of state language policy. When he announced the latter bill, members of the BYT-Batkivschyna faction and the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense faction rushed to the presidium. Due to the chaos in parliament, the bill did not gain the necessary number of votes in the first vote. However, 248 MPs supported it in the second vote.

When asked whether the language bill has been passed, deputy of the BYT-Batkivschyna faction Serhiy Sobolev said, "No one passed anything, we'll clarify everything right now."

In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, deputy of the Regions Party faction Yuriy Miroshnychenko said that the bill was passed as a whole.

"We did not intend to start a brawl. You saw that those idiots were trying to break their heads against the tribune. Let the idiots keep breaking their foreheads," Kolesnichenko said, while commenting on the situation in the sitting hall when the bill was passed.

Regions Party parliamentary faction MPs Vadym Kolesnichenko and Serhiy Kivalov are the authors of the bill.

Under the bill, Ukrainian is the official language. The official language is used all over the territory of Ukraine by the agencies representing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of power, in international agreements, in the education process, within limits and according to the procedures stipulated in the law. Under the document, the government will also assist to use of the official language in the media, science, culture, and other spheres of public life.

The law also provides that regional or minority languages include Russian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Armenian, Gagauz, Yiddish, Crimean Tatar, Moldovan, German, Greek, Polish, Romani, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, Rusyn, Karaim and Krymchak.

According to the document, if the number of native speakers of one of these languages is 10% or more of the population of the territory on which the language is used, then measures aimed at use of regional and minority languages will apply.

In separate cases local councils will decide whether a national minority language can be used if the number of speakers of this language is not less than 10% on the relevant territory.

Under the document, sittings of the Verkhovna Rada and its commissions and committees will be held in Ukrainian, although MPs may deliver speeches in other languages. The apparatus of the parliament will provide translators in such cases.

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bkrevel July 3, 2012, 5:41 p.m.    

Passed with illegal 'piano voting' = an 'illegal" law......
To be reversed when a democratic gov't is installed.

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AL BALA July 4, 2012, 8:14 p.m.    

Three lies in the language bill

The vast majority of the provisions of the bill language has no relation to the protection of Russian.

In fact, the bill splits the country into two parts, and one of them is extremely easy assimilation and destruction of the Ukrainian language, destroys all incentives to know Ukrainian.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2012/07/2/6967807/

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IvanovPetrovSidorov July 3, 2012, 5:58 p.m.    

Ура! Сердечные поздравления из России. Мы с вами!

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Yuriy Voronkov July 4, 2012, 11:40 a.m.    

Не надо с нами, оставайтесь в России

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IvanovPetrovSidorov July 4, 2012, 12:21 p.m.    

А мы вас не слушаем, посолим и скушаем.

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IvanovPetrovSidorov July 3, 2012, 6:01 p.m.    

Слався, слався, родная земля!
Слався, слався, отчизна моя!
Да будет во веки веков сильна
Святая, великая Украина моя!

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AL BALA July 4, 2012, 6:17 p.m.    

And when kremlin propagandists state that Ukrainians are their brother, it reminds me of George Orwell’s book - 1984 - or Cain and Abel - from the Bible.



Genesis 4



8 Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.



8 ¶ І говорив Каїн до Авеля, брата свого. І сталось, як були вони в полі, повстав Каїн на Авеля, брата свого, і вбив його.








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AL BALA July 3, 2012, 6:09 p.m.    

"First, this bill was not on the agenda. Second, the procedures for voting on its inclusion in the agenda did not happen. third - this law was made ​​more than 2 thousand amendments. Fourth - no appropriate parliamentary committee has prepared a comparison chart. And fifth - all that could prevent the adoption of this law was violated, "- said at a briefing in Parliament leader" Front of Changes ", deputy of the faction" OU "Arseniy Yatseniuk. He said, "is exemplary voting by bandits rather than MPs."

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AL BALA July 3, 2012, 9:39 p.m.    

Second, the voting was conducted twice. Chornovil notes - the first vote failed: the law took only 219 votes. This meant that the same day could not vote again.

http://tsn.ua/politika/rozveli-yak-koshenyat-regionali-proshtovhnuli-skandalniy-zakon-pro-movi.html

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AL BALA July 3, 2012, 7:13 p.m.    

"First, this bill was not on the agenda. Second, the procedures for voting on its inclusion in the agenda did not happen. third - this law was made ​​more than 2 thousand amendments. Fourth - no appropriate parliamentary committee has prepared a comparison chart. And fifth - all that could prevent the adoption of this law was violated, "- said at a briefing in Parliament leader" Front of Changes ", deputy of the faction" OU "Arseniy Yatseniuk. He said, "is exemplary voting by bandits rather than MPs."

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AL BALA July 4, 2012, 9:07 p.m.    

Lytvyn's party massive recall votes for language "offspring" Kolesnichenko

The deputies explained that were missing in the assembly hall during the voting for the bill.

http://tsn.ua/politika/litvinivci-masovo-vidklikayut-golosi-za-movne-ditische-kolesnichenka.html

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Phill M July 3, 2012, 7:15 p.m.    

I am still wanting to know what the definition of 'Territory' or 'Region' is. Is it a Oblast, or is it a Raion? Everything I have read so far has used the word 'regions', which is applied to the Oblasts, the Cities with Special Status, and the autonomous Republic of Crimea. If the Bill is applied at that level, it means that minority languages such as Belarusian, Bulgarian, Armenian, Gagauz, Yiddish, Moldovan, German, Greek, Polish, Romani, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, Rusyn, Karaim and Krymchak have no rights afforded to them under the Bill due to none of those languages meeting or exceeding the 10% minimal requirement. This is a change from the original Ratification Ukraine made in 2005 of the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages which afforded rights to these languages without limitation to a regional or population confinement.

I am glad to see that there is a claus that allows local councils ability to decide if national minority language can be used if the number of speakers of this language is not less than 10% on the relevant territory, but again, what is the definition of "territory". At the same time, one will have to question the agendas and motivations of local councils when it comes to 'allowing' or 'not allowing' languages within that territory to be accepted.

It would be great if someone can clarify this, as both the definition of 'territory' and 'region' (are they separate entities, or mean the same thing?) would give much greater understanding of Bill and its applications, as well as revealing exactly how the Bill will effect language use within Ukraine.

At the same time, the passing of this bill should give onus for the political, judicial, administrative, and educational entities to have staff (and for the political and judicial levels, to have those in charge) to learn to speak the languages within their regions (and not just Ukrainian and Russian).

Do you think that the PoR can properly learn Ukrainian?

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AL BALA July 3, 2012, 7:26 p.m.    

"The law passed in contravention of regulations, without consideration in committee without debate and consideration of numerous amendments, behind closed doors, in secret from the media and citizens. During the vote the Speaker of Parliament shamefully fled to get rid of shame and seems to be innocent to the atrocities that took place in BP, although in fact he and his "People" faction responsible for it personally, "- said Klitschko.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/07/3/6967949/

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AL BALA July 3, 2012, 7:58 p.m.    

"The law passed in contravention of regulations, without consideration in committee without debate and consideration of numerous amendments, behind closed doors, in secret from the media and citizens. During the vote the Speaker of Parliament shamefully fled to get rid of shame and seems to be innocent to the atrocities that took place in BP, although in fact he and his "People" faction responsible for it personally, "- said Klitschko.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/07/3/6967949/

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AL BALA July 4, 2012, 10:33 a.m.    

Klitschko hopes that will not have to call his brother to fight with the "Berkyt"

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/07/4/6967971/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cDuhp9SvJAY#!

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AL BALA July 4, 2012, 10:54 a.m.    

In Kharkiv, demolished the monument to Ukraine's Independence

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/07/4/6967974/

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AL BALA July 4, 2012, 11:15 a.m.    

In Kharkiv, demolished the monument to Ukraine's Independence

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/07/4/6967974/

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