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The Anti-Crisis Council of Non-Governmental Organizations of Ukraine, along with the community of industrialists and entrepreneurs, express their deep condolences over the deaths of three National Guardsmen in a grenade attack during clashes outside the Verkhovna Rada on 'Black' Monday, August 31, 2015, and the organizations pledge their support for National Guardsmen, Interior Ministry officers, and the peaceful participants in the rally who were injured in the attack, and their families.
"They became victims of extremists who must be punished. We demand a fair investigation into these events as soon as possible, and we emphasize that the work of the parliament – no matter what difficult and controversial issues it deals with – has nothing in common with radicalism and attempts to espouse viewpoints by force and provocations," Head of the Anti-Crisis Council of Non-Governmental Organizations of Ukraine, President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE) Anatoliy Kinakh said.
However, one thing is obvious – the tragic events were a consequence of the lack of real and mutually responsible communication between the society and the government of our country. History teaches us that 'gaps' in dialogue and lack of feedback between the government and people are always filled with extremism and radicalism. The government should turn its face towards the people and learn how to communicate with people respectfully.
Things that influence the destinies of millions of people in relation to the Constitution, the Fundamental Law of Ukraine, and that become a subject of heated discussions and controversies in the society and among politicians have to be widely discussed by the public and become a topic of effective dialogue. Taking into account the huge internal and external risks the country is facing during the war, and the sustained tension in the society which is suffering an unprecedented socio-economic crisis, the government should initiate discussions, roundtable talks, conferences, meetings with public figures. By the way, the anti-crisis council along with its associates has proposed to hold a nationwide discussion of Ukraine's development strategy and the proposal went unanswered. The people have to understand the logic, goals, and tasks of reforms, and they also should realize what difficulties they have to overcome for the sake of progress.
"These are your tools, dear lawmakers and representatives of other branches of the government – debates, explanations, effective dialogue. They will help you to build a circle of sincere admirers, as well as form trust, support, and deeper understanding of the proposed amendments. And this refers not only to the version of the Constitution, although it is very important to the country's life, but also to any laws, reforms, and regulations that are widely discussed in the society," Kinakh said.
Consulting with the public, experts, professionals, industrialists, and entrepreneurs is the highest standard of democracy, a culture of public administration and respect for the people. If the authorities neglect these instruments, they will return to the cave-style government, insincere situational policy with double standards which humiliates the country's citizens, and makes them hostages to political games.
Civil society does not need imitation, but real dialogue, public discussion with the government and strong guarantees that its position will be heard and taken into account. That is how society can be consolidated, without which, as we know, it is impossible to win the war and overcome the crisis. The spirit of Maidan involves not only numerous mentions of it from the government rostrums, but also implementation of fundamental reforms and drastic changes, new quality of cooperation between the people and the government. This should be remembered.