Debates erupted and hunger strikes ensued. Political analysts have described the move as electioneering ahead of the Oct. 28 parliamentary election, a crude attempt to divide and conquer voters.
In part, however, it was a smokescreen. What took place in the days after the vote could damage the country just as much as any divisions over language.
Just hours after the language law vote captured media attention, pro-presidential lawmakers passed a state procurement law that experts say could further entrench corruption by making bidding procedures even less competitive.
According to President Viktor Yanukovych, corrupt procurement deals already account for $7.4 billion or 10 to 15 percent of the state budget. He should veto the bill. But, given the fact that the party he controls in parliament passed the law, we don’t have high hopes that he will do the right thing.
Also this month, the country’s last independent TV channel, TVi, was raided by tax police, in violation of pledges by top officials not to carry out inspections of news media organizations before the elections.
Two days after the language vote, moreover, a law on the stock market infrastructure was passed in the second reading that would transfer ownership of technical functions to the central bank.
Experts warn it could make Ukraine’s capital markets uncompetitive for years to come and be used to pressure companies.
Meanwhile, the issue of corruption linked to Euro 2012 preparations, raised by opposition politicians during the football tournament, has completely vanished from the media radar.
Polls place the language issue near the bottom of Ukrainians’ list of priorities. But it serves both the opposition, who can unite around the cause, and the government, which needs something to show its increasingly disenchanted base. In turn, the media get a juicy and easily digestible story about a nation divided, torn between past and present.
Whatever their stance on the use of Russian, almost all Ukrainians agree on one thing – that corruption among public officials is destroying the country and must be eradicated. They must not lose sight of that goal, not matter what distractions the government throws their way.
