Ukraine's Government Machine October 2, 2008
The Orange Revolution
period was one of great optimism for many Ukrainians, though a
very large portion (up to 40% or more) of the population viewed the
revolution with suspicion -- and, in hindsight, justifiably so. There
were great hopes for the new government, which seemed to embrace
freedom of speech and principles of just governance. Reforms were begun
in many branches of government, and for a while it became harder to
bribe your way around the law. Now, four years after the revolution,
the situation appears remarkably like it used to be, albeit for some
cosmetic improvements and less overt government pressure on the
media. The fact is, the Ukrainian government
machine remains the oppressive and antagonistic "servant of the people"
that it has been since the Bolsheviks and beyond, and the leaders of
the Orange Revolution have not been willing or able to change this. As
much as Americans and Europeans ridicule their own governments for the
stupidity and inefficiency of bureaucracy, their systems are not
permeated by fear and do not psychologically abuse citizens like the
Ukrainian government machine routinely does. As we know, fear begets
bullying, and bullying begets fear. It's a vicious circle: Ukrainians
act servile and helpless when interacting with the state, and the state
responds by harassing and antagonizing them. Or is it the other way
around? Regulatory bodies, police, tax
authorities, registration organs, and even the post office continue to
create massive problems for Ukrainians, who have little recourse should
problems arise. Unless you happen to meet an uncommonly friendly person
on a day without lines, interaction with state bodies is a taxing
chore. Government institutions don't communicate with each other and
often have conflicting rules governing the same sphere, and it is the
citizen's job to figure everything out on his own, run around from
office to office solving his own problems, and carry sheaths of
copiously stamped papers here and there. Government workers won't offer
you help for your personal situation unless you give them a sob story
or appear dangerously exasperated. Visitors who are not
sufficiently informed or have
done something incorrect are frequently chewed out by government staff.
These workers themselves live in fear of their bosses and other
controlling agents, who are in turn vulnerable to severe and arbitrary
punishment from those higher in authority, creating an unbroken chain
of fear and displaced aggression in Ukrainian society. Ukrainians
have a deep-seated and often unconscious fear of the government
machine.
This affects their behavior in public, "introverting" vast areas of the
country and keeping alive Soviet-era paranoia, suspicion, and
cynicism.
The complex of the "маленький человек" ("little person," or
insignificant and helpless member of society) lives on. Ukrainians grow
up with the sense that they are helpless to change
anything significant in society and that they must keep a low profile
in order to avoid problems with the powers-that-be. People avoid making
eye contact with police officers, who travel around in threesomes and
are famous for abusing ordinary citizens for fun and beating admissions
of guilt out of suspects. People are fearful of courts
and "justice" and are well aware of the horrors of Ukrainian prisons.
Even though
the Constitution declares principles of individual liberty and justice,
the average Ukrainian feels that his life is of little consequence to
the state. Hence,
Ukrainians tend to focus on their individual lives and relationships
and avoid involvement with "the system," unless they have substantial
assets or work for the government to begin with. Each person tries to
mind his own business and not stick his neck out. Such is the nature of
Ukrainian laws that almost every citizen is an offender and carries
with him a sensation of personal vulnerability. Laws are unreasonably
harsh and contradictory, procedures are unnecessarily time-consuming
and old-fashioned, and enforcement is generally lax, impulsive, and
subject to influence through bribery and blackmail. Efforts to improve
the situation are shallow and often symbolic. Virtually no Ukrainians
have any illusions about government bodies working "for the good of the
people." For Ukrainians, the answer is always that someone's personal
pocketbook is driving each action and policy of government bodies. This
explains the contradictory laws, selective enforcement, arbitrary and
obtruse procedures, and the general aura of secrecy, fear, and dearth
of information permeating all official institutions. The
fundamentally antagonistic attitude of Ukraine's government machine
towards its own people is undoubtedly a key factor in the low level of
general satisfaction and happiness that persists among Ukrainians. Rather than
turn the system around and make things right, the post-Orange
Revolution government seems to have been integrated into the system and adopted
its attitudes. Just for foreigners:
Despite
what I have written here about the Ukrainian state machine and its
impact on Ukrainians' psychology, most foreigners are only indirectly
inconvenienced by government policies and attitudes. The problems begin
when you begin to settle down and do business. Foreigners (from wealthy
countries) have a "grace period" of exactly three months in Ukraine.
During this time you don't need to interact with any government bodies:
no visa, no passport registration,
no questions asked. Even after they begin dealing with official bodies,
foreigners generally receive better treatment than Ukrainians and don't
need to be afraid of being arbitrarily imprisoned or antagonized by the
state. You will, however, almost certainly experience the
condescention, fear, and unhelpfulness that characterize official
institutions in Ukraine.
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