[aaus-list] Regarding the points raised by R. Serbyn and V. Ostapchuk

[Max Pyziur]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 09:16:40 -0500
From: 
To: Max Pyziur <pyz at brama.com>
Subject: please post to AAUS



Regarding the points raised by R. Serbyn and V. Ostapchuk:

Derzhavnyj Komitet Arxiviv Ukrajiny is the executive governmental
body responsible for state archives.  Since mid 2007 it functions
under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (see
Postanova Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrajiny vid 11.VII.07 No. 899).  Prior
to that it was under the Ministry of Justice and prior to 2005 it
functioned as an independent DerzhKomitet reporting to the Vice Prime
Minister for humanitarian affairs within the Kabinet Ministriv
structure.

Dima Tabachnik appointed the Communist O. Ginzburg to head the
DerzhKomArxiv when he was Vice Prime Minister.  The current Vice
Prime Minister, Ivan Vasjunyk, still oversees this position.  It was
generally known that in early Jan. 2008 Ms. Ginsburg was allowed to
dodge an invitation for a talk in the Kabinet Ministriv during which
she would have had to submit her resignation.  Fortuitously, she
became "sick" just before the meeting and proceeded to take a month's
leave for "medical" reasons.  Ukrainian regulations do not allow the
removal of personnel while on medical leave.

Mr. Vasjunyk is the only person in the Kabinet Ministriv today who
apparently continues to protect Ms. Ginzburg.  He became Vice Prime
Minister under the Nasha Ukrajina quota just this December and before
was closely associated with Mr. Victor Baloha as his first deputy
head of the Presidential Administration.  It is hard to imagine what
compels Mr. Vasjunyk to protect Communists and allow them to
shortchange President Yushchenko's programs of Holodomor remembrance
and reconciliation of the past.  This is why it makes sense to direct
questions about all of this to Mr. Vasjunyk or the Presidential
Administration since it appears they are players here.

Concerned individuals can express dissatisfaction with Mr. Vasjunyk
and the durable Ms. Ginsburg by withholding support of official
Ukrainian government efforts to commemorate the Holodomor (such as
the upcoming conference this April 5th at the Embassy of Ukraine in
Wash. DC entitled "The Famine of 1932-1933 and the Ukrainians:
History and Literature").  Withholding support makes sense until the
government terminates the Ginzburg farce.  Business cannot be as
usual if the authorities do not prosecute the violations of Ukrainian
law that apply to Ms. Ginsburg's efforts to promote her party's
agenda from high government office.  It would also not hurt to
suggest to the Tymoshenko Block that their silence in this situation
may be deleterious in the long run.

The present circumstances at the DerzhKomArxiv are likely to
encourage more scholars to leave.  Helping these individuals continue
scholarly work in Ukraine will be just as important as registering
disapproval with political or government officials.  Providing the
means to migrate the content of the very important DerzhKomArxiv web
site (www.archives.gov.ua) to a safe place will also be timely in
light of the unannounced engagement of a crew of young people
(apparently at the behest of the Communist Party) to "redesign" the
site.  We should also be vigilant about personnel changes initiated
by Ms. Ginsburg within the DerzhKomArxiv, her attempts to place
trusted individuals in key positions at the oblast and rajon
archives, and her efforts to gain control over oblast archive
finances.  Intervention at the local level appears to be the
Communist party's preferred method for gaining control of historical
memory and society.  Their chances of succeeding are greatly enhanced
as long as they hold on to the DerzhKomArxiv.

Roman Procyk
Ukrainian Studies Fund