The southeast unites against illegitimate junta in Kiev

The coordinator of public organizations of the Southeast of Ukraine, the president of Honour and Advantage Fund, the chairman of the Kharkov office of the International Public Movement «OCEAN», the deputy of the Kharkov regional council of the fifth convocation Igor Evgenyevich Massalov answers the questions of «The world and we».

— Is the election of the president of Ukraine appointed to May 25 legitimate and will take place?

In itself the purpose of elections as the power which isn’t allocated with the appropriate constitutional authority is illegal. And all actions which happen proceeding from this position are illegal.

At the same time, there was a situation, when politicians with whom can sympathize, the left, pro-Russian part of electorate and the former supporters of the Party of Regions as proposed the candidature. It is the head of communists of Ukraine Pyotr Simonenko and the representative of the Party of Regions Mikhail Dobkin, independent candidates Sergey Tigipko and Oleg Tsarov.

It led to partial legitimation of upcoming elections, at least, in consciousness of some part of voters. The fact of participation in elections of all political forces means visibility of their some constitutionality and legality. It is thus obvious that proceeding from the current legislation, they are illegitimate.

This confusion which resulted from hasty actions of the Verkhovna Rada creates negative precedents in Ukraine when «revolutionary» expediency substitutes all possible constitutional acts and actions.

For the people, first of all, the Southeast of Ukraine another is important. It is not presidential elections, but aspiration of the population of the Southeast to the federal device of Ukraine, to granting the autonomous status to their territories and giving of the state status to the Russian language. It is demanded by the majority of the population, but there is no feedback with the illegitimate power, certainly.

— Is the holding a referendum about federalization of Ukraine, about the autonomous status of southeast areas possible soon?

On November 6, 2012 the law on an All-Ukrainian and local referendum was cancelled. This law could be returned for the solution of this question and definition of regulations of holding a referendum. Considering, with what speed recently the Verkhovna Rada makes decisions, return of this law shouldn’t cause difficulties.

Besides, the norm of direct action it is the article 5 of the Constitution of Ukraine which defines that all power belongs to the people, and it can directly carry out it, i. e. about the help of a referendum, or by means of Councils of People’s Deputies. All these tools exist. And now suffice time to unite presidential election and referendum about the federal device of Ukraine.

As for the law on giving of the state status to the Russian language, so it isn’t necessary any additional actions. There are enough 300 voices, the constitutional majority and this law would be adopted.

In Ukraine there was a historical situation when two people, Russian and Ukrainian form the state. But for some reason one call the title nation, and the second — derelicts and minority. Though people who are Russian, Russian-speaking, Russian -cultural, considerably more than a half of the population of Ukraine.

Therefore the need to make the Russian language as the state is obvious. Besides Ukraine implemented the European charter about languages in which it is specified that if more than 20% of the population of the country speak the language different from the state one, so this language has to be recognized as the state.

Therefore there are no objective obstacles today to the solution of these two main issues for the Southeast population — about the federal device of Ukraine and about giving of the state status to the Russian language.

— Do the violence and pressure increase possible from the illegitimate authorities concerning Russians and Russian-speaking inhabitants of Ukraine, against the Southeast population?

I think that it is quite real prospect. We see the examples of the similar actions authorized by the power. Organization «Friendship trains», provocations against the Southeast, army application also are simply authorized in Kiev. It is not any extremist amateur performance which has arisen in the head of representatives of «Right sector». These actions are planned, the power doesn’t interfere with them therefore there is a violence escalation.

The power provokes the increase of protest moods, interfering with carrying out peace meetings where people state the point of view, defend the constitutional right to have such country which they want, to speak that language which they want.

— Will the pro-Russian movements of the Southeast be able to unite and to reach results in the fight?

Protest movement in the Southeast becomes more organized. Various public organizations, political parties unite. It is a positive factor in protest movement in the Southeast. I think that this tendency will accrue. Certainly, any fight has take-off and falling, it can develop after an exhibitor up and down. But, nevertheless, this movement aspires to that being organized and accrue — people seek to live in that country which they want, and to speak that language which they want. Therefore the resistance movement actions of the illegitimate authorities will consistently amplify.