Mykola Tomenko: The President and the Government should find out why the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting banned Publication of Ivan Franko's Book on the Eve of his 155th Anniversary
Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, appealed to Mykola Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine, with a request to provide financial support to the program "Ukrainian book" of the 54th volume of Collection of Works of Ivan Franko.
Mykola Tomenko reminded that under the Order of the President of Ukraine "On Commemoration of Ivan Franko", the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine prepared four additional volumes and volume of notes to a 50-volume academic Collection of Works of Ivan Franko, three of which and note volume were published by the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine in 2008-2009 according to the program of social publications. According to the decision of the Board of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, the final 54th (additional) volume of the collection was supposed to be published. However, the above-mentioned volume has not been published due to the lack of funding.
The Deputy Chairman of the Parliament deems it symbolic that in the year of the 155th anniversary of a great Ukrainian poet and outstanding figure, the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting excluded publication of his works from the program "Ukrainian Book-2011". At the same time, Mykola Tomenko reminded that under this program, such a ‘socially important´ book as "Khartsyzsk: Time, Events, People. Volume 1" has been published.
The Deputy Chairman also appealed to the President of Ukraine with a request to investigate the situation.