BRAMA, Feb 6, 2004, 1:00 am ET
Press Release
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UKRAINIAN AMERICAN COORDINATING COUNCIL
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January 26, 2004
STATEMENT by the
UKRAINIAN AMERICAN COORDINATING COUNCIL
CONCERNING A RESOLUTION OF THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
The Executive Committee of the UACC met to review the resolution of the UNA concerning the renewal of ties with the UCCA and carefully analyzed its content.
The UACC shares UNA's position that the strength of our community is in unity. At the same time, however, we wish to emphasize that the UACC has always stood for and continues to stand for unity founded on democratic principles, on tolerance, pluralism, consensus, and respect for the opinions of all, and that in the past UACC has worked towards achieving such a consensus with the community based on these principles. Therefore UACC continues to welcome every effort at consensus within the Ukrainian community.
Unfortunately, the UNA did not follow this path; it did not consult with either the Executive Committee of the UACC or with organizations that do not belong to either UACC or UCCA prior to making its decision, nor did it indicate what changes had taken place within the UCCA, showing that the leadership of UCCA has renounced its efforts--which began after the 13th UCCA Congress in 1980--to place the entire organized Ukrainian American community under the control of one political entity. That attempt to achieve the partisan monopolization of Ukrainian American society after the 13th UCCA Congress was the basis for the founding of UACC, the main creator of which was the UNA, and for the assumption of key positions in UACC by John Flis, Ulana Diachuk, Volodymyr Sochan, who all stood firmly for maintaining the strongest possible democratic principles in community life. These statements are based on undisputable facts!
Today we do not see any sign that the UCCA's goal of partisan monopolization of Ukrainian American society has in any way changed!
As a matter of fact, in past years there was, generally speaking, some agreement and even friendly cooperation between UACC, UCCA and nonaffiliated organizations. One could expect that things were improving. The goal of solidarity of actions seemed near. Unfortunately, in recent times this cooperation for unknown reasons fell by the wayside. There was an upsurge of complete indifference towards others by UCCA--treating others as if "they did not even exist."
UACC continues to stand on democratic principles and for action on the basis of tolerance, pluralism, consensus and coordinated cooperation, and we continue to maintain that this is most important foundation of the strength of our community, which at some point may lead indeed to ultimate unity.
The Executive Committee of UACC hopes to see the creation of a single coordinating center, based on democratic principles in community activity. This ideal should be achieved in accordance with the proposals adopted at a conference of all organizations which took place in May 2001 at Ramada Inn, East Hanover, N.J. (Participants were organizations that were constituent organizations of UCCA and UACC and unaffiliated organizations.)
Why haven't any of the proposals of this Conference been realized so far?
The Executive Committee of UACC wishes again and again to make it plain that UACC stands firmly on the democratic principles of tolerance of all in the Ukrainian community. On the basis of these principles, UACC is always ready to work in concert with others and to strive for solidarity and ultimate unity.
For UACC's Executive Committee
Ihor Gawdiak
President
Dr. Roman Baranovskyj
Secretary
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