+12 Kyiv
Majority deputy Andrey Ilyenko believes that foreigners in the Ukrainian government can be informal advisers, but not employees or especially ministers. He said it in the comment to the GORDON edition.
"I personally do not like this initiative because there is an element of humiliation. Thus we acknowledge that we are a third-rate country of the third world, some kind of a colony where there are no worthy people and we have to accept foreigners. I concede that foreigners may be consultants, informal advisers, but I cannot imagine foreigners in the quality of ministers or public servants," Ilyenko noted.
"First, it is prohibited to have dual citizenship in Ukraine, therefore I cannot imagine how it will look like. Secondly, it is very difficult to imagine a foreigner, who would revoke his or her European passport for the sake of Ukraine and would accept Ukrainian citizenship. But even if it happens, I consider it impossible because there is an element of the inferiority complex in it. If we need foreign experience – you are welcome. But I think that it is too much to hire them to public service and to political positions," the People's Deputy considers.
Andrey Ilyenko believes that for using Western experience foreigners may be attracted as advisers, whereas Ukrainians with Western education should be appointed to state positions.
"I respect both Georgian experience of reforms and the Baltic countries. But what prevents us from taking advantage of the experience of these people in the quality of informal advisers and consultants? I do not object to appointing Ukrainian citizens with Western education. There are a lot of such people both in Ukraine and outside it; they were not revoked lose Ukrainian citizenship. If we want to get the Western experience so much, let us involve these people," Ilyenko noted.
"If we already accept the logic that foreigners are better and they should be at the head, let us start with the top positions in the country. Why not? Let us make foreigners presidents, prime ministers, speakers of the parliament. If a deputy minister may be a foreigner, let us start with the top positions then. It is absurd and therefore it seems wrong to me," the Deputy considers.
According to Andrey Ilyenko, in order to fight corruption it is necessary to carry out certain actions that do not require foreigners’ involvement.
"If we consider that we are so unable to do some things ourselves, for example, fight corruption, let us be honest and acknowledge it. For example, if we speak about fight against corruption, why has not the agreement with Cyprus been cancelled yet that allows taking out money to offshore regions? Why has nobody done it yet? Perhaps, some people think that if a foreigner is the Minister of Internal Affairs, it will be done? It does not seem so to me because it can be done now, but somehow it is not being done," Ilyenko stated.
"Why do not they want to abolish deputies’ immunity? If we have foreigners in the government, will the parliamentary majority vote for it at once? Is there any interconnection? It is simply a PR element in order to demonstrate determination in the fight against corruption, but as a matter of fact, in order to fight against corruption it is simply necessary to make decisions that are somehow not being made. That is it," the People's Deputy considers.
