08 September 2010, 13:50
During the working visit to Uzhhorod, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, commented upon the state of freedom of speech in Ukraine. Thus, he stated that several upsetting signs had appeared recently. "These signs may turn into an organized restriction of the freedom of speech, unless the public, the journalists and the politicians respond to them," he stressed.
M.Tomenko drew attention to another debatable and limelight issue, the ‘migrant journalism.´ "It is good that we provide a political and information shelter to the journalists who can not attain self-realization in other countries. However, the other side of the coin is that these journalists are considered as ‘the best´ and ‘the most honest´ in the political journalism of Ukraine," M.Tomenko stated.
The Deputy Chairman reminded of the experience with ‘a prominent´ journalist Dmitrii Kiseliov who "has preached to the Ukrainian people about the good and bad politicians for several years." Now, Savik Shuster seems to take up the torch. "I think that Ukrainian journalism has enough authorities," M.Tomenko admitted. "By tacit agreement, neither journalists nor the foreign citizens have the right to tell the Ukrainian society whom to support, or teach the Ukrainian politicians how to rule their own country. They can obtain this right, provided they get a Ukrainian citizenship, win the election struggle and become politicians. Only then can they deal in politics."
M.Tomenko stressed that the legislative provisions prohibiting the foreign citizens to participate in the election campaign shall finally be implemented. "It is by no means a normal situation that campaign debates of Ukrainian politicians are held by foreign journalists," he stated.
The Deputy Chairman reminded of the start of the election campaign to the local self-government bodies. According to him, it seems that migrant journalists will again persuade the Ukrainians which deputies to the local councils are good or bad. M.Tomenko stated that it contradicted both the applicable legislation, and the common foundations of political journalism.