Clan Politics

KIEV, Ukraine -- The nepotism of the pro-presidential Our Ukraine political clan reached new depths when Viktor Yushchenko named his oldest daughter Vitalina to lead the “Warm a Child With Love” charity.

Viktor Yushchenko (L) with daughter Vitalina.
Just what a 26-year-old knows about running a multi-million-dollar charity and dealing with Ukraine’s most powerful (and in some cases, corrupt) businessmen is beyond most people.

Our Ukraine presents itself as a political force that best exemplifies European values. Certainly, nepotism permeates all societies to some degree. But among the pillars of modern Western civilization is the notion that the most qualified woman or man gets the job, regardless of family, ethnicity or race.

Vitalina might be bright, but appointing his daughter to such a position only casts a shadow on Yushchenko’s self-declared commitment to transparency and honest politics.

Her appointment is the latest chapter in a series of nepotism jokingly referred to by Ukrainians as “kumivstvo,” referring to Yushchenko’s tendency to appoint family and relatives to government posts.

In Ukrainian culture, kums and kumas are not only the parents of godchildren, but close members of the family who may expect preferences and favors.

Among Yushchenko’s family currently in top positions are fellow kum and Minister of Youth, Family and Sport Yuriy Pavlenko, brother and parliamentary deputy Petro Yushchenko, and kum and National Bank of Ukraine Council Chair Petro Poroshenko.

If Ukraine is to prove itself a European culture, its leader should abandon their Byzantine traditions and recognize the value in appointing people based on their skills and talents, not bloodlines. A competitive application process for positions such as Vitalina’s would be a good start.

Source: Kyiv Post