Mykola Tomenko: The Present-Day System of Decorations in Ukraine has been exhausted
Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, commented upon the latest presentation of decorations by Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine. "Absurdity and immorality of the system of decorations of Ukraine is obvious", - he stated.
M.Tomenko believes that the decisions concerning decorations are made by several officials of the President´s Secretariat. It is doubtful that the State Decorations and Heraldry Commission involving Viacheslav Kyrylenko, Ivan Vakarchuk and others would approve of such decisions.
The Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine believes that awarding of "The Hero of Ukraine" title to Yuriy Melnyk, Minister of Agrarian Policy, is one of the most debatable incidents.
According to the Vice-Chairman, yesterday´s awarding of "The Hero of Ukraine" title to Valentyn Symonenko, Head of the Accounting Chamber, confirmed that friendly relations with the President´s Secretariat are more important than public support and authority. "One can only imagine how many more Yaroslav the Wise Orders will be awarded to such figures as Kyiv mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, or "The Hero of Ukraine" titles to the business partners or family friends of the President´s Secretariat during the last months of V.Yushchenko´s presidency", - Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed.
As the Head of the Public Organizing Committee in charge of preparation and celebration of the 75th anniversary of birth of Vasyl Symonenko, outstanding Ukraine writer, Mykola Tomenko stated: "At the latest sitting of the Committee (that includes Borus Oliynyk, Mykola Som, Volodymyr Bilenko, Serhiy Halchenko, Mykola Lukiv, Viktor Nabrusko and others), the members drafted an appeal with a request to award "The Hero of Ukraine" title to this poet posthumously. However, taking into account the recent decorations, we shall wait for another system of decorations and another President".