17 January 2011, 12:00
17 January 2010р.
Mykola Tomenko: An Initiative concerning Federated Ukraine may follow the Language Initiative of the Authorities
Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, believes that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Ukraine took another anti-Ukrainian action in the sphere of education. He summed up the contents of the document entitled "Language Education Concept in Ukraine" brought by the Ministry of Education for public discussion.
The Deputy Chairman is under impression that it is a chapter of the strategic documents on the cooperation between Russia and the neighbouring states. Such documents promote the Russian language and restore the status of the Russian language as the language of international communication. "The document includes this statement that was a part of the Soviet language policy," M.Tomenko stated, quoting "It is a language of international communication, one of the widespread world languages, closely related to the Ukrainian language."
The Deputy Chairman stressed that this statement violated the Constitution. "Ukrainian Constitution does not define the term "international language." In respect of languages, there is the Ukrainian language as the state one, and the languages of the national minorities," he stated.
According to M.Tomenko, the statement that Ukraine is a multi-national company is equally dangerous. This statement does not only stand to any scholarly criticism, but is also politically dangerous, as provokes the following action: a multi-national state does not only set several state languages, but also adopts a federal state order. "It will come as no surprise, if the Ministry of Education or the Government will suggest transforming Ukraine into a federate state," the politician declared.
Summing up, Mykola Tomenko stated that neither the Ministry nor the Government are authorized to adopt such a document, as it interferes with the sphere of legislative regulation and contravenes the Constitution of Ukraine. "It is only the constitutional majority of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that can adopt the fundamentals of the language policy," M.Tomenko stated.
Press Service of M.Tomenko