Discussing motives for the construction of helicopter landing site near Kaniv town, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, declared,"One can be entertained at the expense of personal funds and in accordance with the effective legislation, preferably not near the tomb of Taras Shevchenko."
M. Tomenko stressed that central and local authorities would not eradicate budget plundering by means of ‘advocacy journalism.´ The Deputy Chairman reminded that he had appealed to the Prime Minister of Ukraine with a request to report on the use of budget finds for Euro 2012 for the building of helicopter landing site not far from Taras Shevchenko burial place.
M. Tomenko is convinced that if the initiator of such an idea is neither President nor Government but the Head of the Regional Administration, it is interesting to find out who exactly out of ‘rich Ukrainian diaspora´ demand construction of the helicopter landing sites at the expense of budget finds in Boryspil and near Chernecha Hora.
According to the Deputy Chairman, moral and historical aspects are the most important in this ‘helicopter scandal.´ "Ukrainians who want to commemorate Taras Shevchenko usually go on foot to his grave, not drive or fly", he stressed.
M. Tomenko reminded that the Government and local authorities tried to save the budget funds, cutting down the number of schools and hospitals, so such ‘tourist routes´ are quite strange, to put it mildly.
M. Tomenko reminded that on March 9, Ukraine celebrates the birthday of T. Shevchenko, while on May 22 the 150th anniversary of his reburial in Ukraine. "We should honour our Kobzar with spiritual, historical and educational projects instead of ‘helicopter stories´", M. Tomenko is convinced.