A marathon is the hardest for those who planned to take a walk in a suit. Maybe it's real to run 42 kilometers marathon for a person trained for a half marathon, but not for an average man or women. Only highly and purely motivated people are able to do the revolutions. However, not all government institutions, the public and citizens are always ready to transfer from a moral rise to real transformation end evolution. The life is much harder than any marathons, and we often have to change, train and develop tactics after the start.
Revolutions are often followed by acute disappointment for the society. We want to get everything at once, but are not ready to the fact that our pre-revolutionary goals may be changed or specified.
My generation has already seen 2 revolutions in Ukraine, and an unfinished war, initiated by one of the most militarily capable country – the Russian Federation.
As a result of 2004 Orange Revolution, the embryo of civil society was formed. However, it didn't manage to secure systematic changes. The citizens successfully stood up on cold winter squares for their right to have a fairly elected president, and handed the power and responsibility to the politicians. They didn't become elite, which was ready to put public welfare above their personal interests. A wave of disappointment in 2006 was easy to predict and quite inevitable. I felt this disillusionment myself in February 2005. I was a student, and went on a hunger strike with other activists. Rector of our university didn't even apologize after the revolution. He was pressing the students to vote for candidate Viktor Yanukovych and refrain from demonstration of our civic position.
The price for Revolution of Dignity in 2014 was very high – citizens, who didn't want to give the country neither to politicians, nor to oligarchs, nor small and high-standing officials, have sacrificed their lives. Almost 100 activists died in a few days, shot dead on Maidan.
The expectations people had for the Revolution of Dignity is different from the current reality. We wanted to get a state focused on citizens who enjoy a wide range of rights. This state would serve the public and public servants would not be corrupt or indifferent. Could this change happen right after Yanukovych had fled from Ukraine? It would be a miracle! It is not time, but efforts in question, aimed to reach changes and develop a new type of relations between the government and a citizen, where decisions are made transparently and every vote is counted, and every voice has matter. However, it's the path of an evolution. Expectations of the revolution and systematic changes sometimes are antagonists.
A revolution is an opportunity to feel emotions and demand changes; evolution is realization of these changes through reforms, education, citizen involvement, dialog and communication. The question is, whether demands of the revolution and evolution of the society happen in the same coordinate system of values. If we were goaled for human rights and the rule of law, democracy, sovereignty and freedoms, and our evolution has the same slogans, than we may call it development.
The war came to Ukraine three years ago. The citizens didn't expect help from the politicians, and started the wide-scales volunteer assistance to Ukrainian army and internally displaced persons, humanitarian assistance to individuals who suffered from the international armed conflict. The citizens gave Ukraine a chance to survive despite many our international partners advised not to resist the Russian Federation in 2014. When the war was initiated, the military forces of a country with 46 million citizens comprised 5000 solders. Scary, isn't it? However, the society had mobilized and made a timely and significant contribution. Such activities are still ongoing.
Besides that, many young specialists have invested their time and skills into development of draft laws, implementation of different programs goaled to increase transparency, accountability and openness of the state and its institutions. Each specialist may suggest innovative solutions in his field, participate in their implementation, and take part in reforms. Anti-corruption bodies have started to function for the first time in Ukraine, electronic state procurement systems were established, as well as state party financing, transparency of media ownership, declaration of income and spending by state officials. Besides that, judicial, decentralization, police reforms have started. Does the old system resist such innovations and reforms? Yes, it does. The system imitates the results, manipulates the facts, and sends information flows against civic activists and honest public officials. We are still fighting for a comprehensive electoral reform and even substitution of CEC membership. Is it a reason for disappointment? No, it's a sign that stronger efforts are needed to reach the goal. Disappointment is only an excuse for our opponents, and we are not going to grant it this time.
Viam supervadet vadens - You have to keep putting one foot in front of the other!